Louisiana Lightning SVMposting
by Selle Castaigneda
Summary: Synopsis: A mysterious scientist comes to Bon Temps with a secret agenda that will change the undead life of its vampire resident. And how is this stranger tied to Sookie and her Viking lover? Note: characters are property of C Harris.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 **

Elliot looked at her map again and made some calculations. According to her information, she was only a few minutes from her destination. She sighed heavily. What a god awful trek this had been. Three thousand miles, truck engine repair, stay-awake snacks of junk food followed by greasy meals in truck stop diners, and too many nights sleeping on the front seat of her truck.

Never again would she travel such a long distance without a man, she promised herself. It wasn't that she needed a man to defend her--it was that the sight of a man would be a deterrent to unsavory bastards looking to mess with her. She'd shown the muzzle of her sawed-off shotgun to more than one such individual. She wasn't eager to use her gun but if anyone or any reason provoked her into pulling it out from behind her seat, she did so knowing she'd use it if pushed.

When she found motels where she could watch her truck and trailer from her room, she slept in a real bed and showered with delightfully hot water. When she couldn't find motels with acceptable views, she found a well-lit place to park, locked up the cab of the truck and laid down on the seat with a blanket over her.

She'd driven hard--pushing the limits and driving fourteen hours a day. This trip had taken a long time in preparation, and once she was on the road, she couldn't get to Bon Temps fast enough.

If things worked out according to plan, by the time she was ready to go home, Louisiana would be short at least one vampire.

She picked up her mobile phone and dialed Sookie's house, letting the phone ring for a long time. Okay, no answer, she thought. Hmm, what to do?

She shuffled through her papers and found the address of Bill Compton. Within a few minutes, she pulled into his driveway and began negotiating the bumpy terrain leading to his house. There were lights on inside. Good, he's home, she thought. Perhaps meeting Bill before she met Sookie would be best anyway.

She parked the truck and trailer off to the side of his house and walked up onto his large wooden porch. She took a deep breath of misty night air and knocked on the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Bill was neither expecting company nor was he in the mood for it. He cursed under his breath as he unlocked his front door, mustering a phony smile as he opened it.

He never knew if a visitor to his door would bring good news or fresh hell. Mainstreaming was an unpredictable lifestyle when it came to uninvited guests, he'd found. It might be a local wood merchant asking if he needs to buy firewood. Or much worse, it could be the police here to question him about a murder they were sure he committed because, God knows, he's a vampire and everyone knows vampires are killers. Some people's minds just worked that way. If some folks in a group were bad, then they all must be and anyone who thought otherwise was a damn fool.

The woman stood before Bill at his front door. He scanned and catalogued her attributes as he did upon meeting anyone, human or otherwise. Years as a societal outsider had taught him the value of sizing up new acquaintances immediately--a vampire's safety could depend on such a skill.

What is this, he wondered, another fangbanger come to offer her blood in exchange for what she assumed would be hot wild vampire sex? Looking her up and down, he debated the pros and cons of fulfilling what he assumed would be her desire. He usually turned requests of this type down, slamming the door in their faces before he could change his mind. Sticking to a diet of synthetic blood was easiest done by staying away from the real thing.

This woman seemed different though and he was tempted. She smelled sweet and spicy, although he couldn't liken the scent to anything he'd smelled before. He only knew it was indescribably enticing, and it wasn't just her provocative scent pulling him in. She held herself as with obvious pride and confidence.

Perhaps he would make an exception and lay with this one for a drink of what he instinctively knew would be rich blood. He was hungry for something tasty and satisfying, and looking into her dark green eyes, he believed she could deliver what he craved.

She sighed and shook her head as she tossed back her hood and pulled an errant strand of hair from her full lips. He smelled spearmint on her breath.

Most definitely, he decided, she was beautiful in the way women consider unusual but men find irresistible. She was graced with a wild mass of dark curls, messy and long enough to be pulled into some kind of catch at the back of her head. Her hair would be the first thing he would grab when she offered herself to him.

She appeared average in height and build and although he couldn't determine her finer attributes because of her coat and loose jeans, he could see when she unzipped her jacket that she was lean and shapely. Practical, too, he thought. She was wearing short leather boots, the kind people from the backwoods wear.

"Hello. Are you Bill Compton?" she asked.

"Yes, I am." He answered coolly, giving nothing away.

"I'm looking for Sookie. I just phoned her house; she's not home. I was told you know her." Raising her eyebrows and smiling, she gestured in the direction of Sookie's house. "I was hoping you might know when she'll be home."

She paused for a second, looking a little sheepish. "She didn't know I was coming. We've never met actually. We have a mutual acquaintance, someone who's important to both of us, and he wanted me to get to know Sookie while I'm here in Louisiana," she said, shrugging one shoulder and bobbing her head to the side. "I'm Elliot."

Despite her masculine name, there was no doubt she was all woman and he could feel himself leaning in towards her. He restrained himself despite the urge to throw caution to the wind. He didn't know this woman and there was no reason to believe she meant well towards Sookie. She didn't look dangerous, but just the same, he wanted to be sure he was getting to the fullness of her story sooner rather than later. Sookie had saved his life on more than one occasion, and anytime he could look out for her in return, he stood ready.

Regardless of Elliot's appearance of sincerity, he had a sense there was more to her purposes than what she was sharing with him. Perhaps he should help himself to a little peek below the surface.

"She's away on business for a few days." He tucked his chin down slightly and focused on her eyes. He pushed out his energy to initiate a glamour connection. "What do you want from Sookie? What's in the big trailer you're pulling behind your truck?" He queried softly and smoothly, his eyes never leaving hers. He pushed his influence towards her, penetrating her aura, caressing her essence. "Where are you from?" His voice was silky, flowing around her like water, beseeching her, coaxing her to relinquish control.

Her eyebrows flickered a brief moment of surprise, then she relaxed her face and asked softly, "What did you say?"

"I said," he began to softly repeat himself, but before he could finish the first question, she murmured a small "ahem" noise and looked down.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I couldn't resist. You really did make me feel peaceful and relaxed. I know what you're after and all I can say is I'm telling you the truth. I'm sorry but you don't have the keys for unlocking my mysterious thoughts," she teased, grinning, "but, glamouring is not without its rewards in my world."

"I see you and Sookie have that in common; I cannot glamour her either," he said curtly. How did she know he was a vampire, he wondered, and who is the connection between her and Sookie?

"Would you care to come in?" He didn't know what she wanted from Sookie or what she was doing here at his house, but he was intrigued by her and concerned about her purposes, whatever those might be.

"That would be lovely, thank you," she smiled warmly while looking boldly into his eyes as she stepped across the threshold. She held his gaze for a long moment and he smiled in return. She was disarming him and he bristled as he didn't appreciate being affected so quickly by anyone.

The moment she stepped inside, he sensed a strange energy coming from her. It felt like waves, like being on a beach standing in waist-high water and feeling the tidewater push and pull, balancing you one second and almost pulling you off your feet the next. Feeling it was a curiously pleasant sensation.

He motioned her into the living room and gestured to the seating. She sat on the couch and leaned back. It was clear by the way she sprawled her arms and legs, she was tired.

"Since Sookie isn't home, I'll need a place to lay my head for the night. I'm looking for a motel or bed and breakfast to stay. Do you have a phone book I could use or do you know of a suitable place? I prefer to stay somewhere I can watch my truck and trailer from my room."

"You're welcome to stay here tonight," he answered easily. He couldn't have asked for a better opportunity to learn more about her. "I doubt you'll find anyplace suitable at this hour without driving to Shreveport. It's eleven o'clock and you look pretty tired. I have a bedroom suitable for a human, Sookie used to sleep here sometimes and it's the room she used."

"She doesn't stay here anymore?" Elliot asked. By the way he shook his head and looked away, she sensed it had been a romance ended with ragged edges. She had it on good authority that vampires had a very hard time healing from romantic rejections. A sudden breakup was like being dropped from a very high cliff.

"How long have you been apart?" She asked gently.

"Two years. I don't care to discuss my private affairs. You're welcome to stay here, but don't get in my way or poke around in my life or my personal belongings. Follow me and I'll show you to your room."

"Yes, thank you. And, um, I'm sorry." She knew vampires well enough to know that his abruptness was more on the lines of business rather than anger--nothing she need be wounded by. He merely explained his terms and wanted to be done with the subject. Nonetheless, good grace moved her to apologize for having asked. She followed him up the stairs.

He led her down the hall and into a large airy room furnished with a four poster bed and a large chest of drawers. She looked around the room in the soft light. There was also a matching vanity with a mirror and a stool. A large oak rocking chair sat in one corner and a maroon velvet-covered overstuffed chair with a matching ottoman sat in another. The floors were very old hardwood planks, thick-looking and lustrous from obvious years of use.

She was charmed. "This is very beautiful. The furniture, the wallpaper, the furnishings, all of it. Do you mind if I move in?" She laughed, so he smiled too. Human facetiousness was a subtlety of communication he struggled to understand but her quick laugh keyed him in.

"Since, you're traveling, I imagine you're hungry. Have you eaten?" Bill asked.

"I haven't eaten since breakfast," she said, "but I've got some crackers and cheese in my truck."

"Well, if you like, I can take you down the road to Merlotte's. Their kitchen serves hot food until midnight. I'm told it's quite good. I'd make you something here, but I don't usually keep much food in the house."

She looked at him and was quiet for a moment. "That's very kind of you. Thank you, I accept your offer. You're a true Southern gentleman." He nodded acknowledgement of the compliment.

She had manners, he noted, and wondered where she was from. He detected a mild accent, but he couldn't quite place it.

They both turned and left the bedroom, walked down the stairs and to the front door, where he pulled his keys from the drawer of a small desk. When he opened the door she exited and walked to his car without asking if this is what he planned to drive. It was.

He opened her door and she slid in, tucking her feet in quickly and fastening her seat belt. As he was getting into the driver's side, he couldn't help but notice that they'd walked all the way from the bedroom to getting into the car without speaking. She was fine with the quiet and seemed to pick up on his intentions. He felt he didn't need to tell her to come along because she was moving with him as naturally as if she'd walked the same path many times before.


	3. Chapter 3

They drove without speaking for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts.

She broke the silence first. "I love it here. It's beautiful, especially the bayous."

"Where are you from?" He glanced at her briefly and then looked back at the road.

"You want the whole story, or just where I live now?"

"I'll take the whole story."

"Ok. My home is near Seattle, Washington, but that's not where I started. I was born in Ireland to Irish parents. A year after my birth, we moved to Seattle.

"Mam was killed in a car accident when I was ten, and my Da and I were lost without her, so we moved back to Ireland. Mam had a lot of family in Ireland, and I guess we thought if we lived there it would be like having her still with us."

"Was it?" he asked.

"Yes and no. Her sister was there, my Aunt Bebhinn. She was a lot like my Mam so through her, I could get glimpses of Mam from time to time. And she loved me and took my Da and me into her home."

"Bebhinn, interesting name", Bill remarked.

"Yes, it's Celtic. My Mam's name was Aine, that's Celtic too. Ah, those crazy Irish and their strange names," she spoke in a strong Irish brogue for a moment, smiling.

He smiled. "But you didn't stay in Ireland for too many years, did you? Your accent is quite mild."

Her face grew serious. "No. I left when I was 18 to go to a University in Seattle. Da stayed behind in Ireland. I wish he had come home with me to Seattle instead." She grew quiet and looked down. She shook her head quickly and squeezed her eyes tightly closed. Then as quickly as the look had washed over her, it was gone and her face was smooth.

"What happened?" he asked.

She looked at him quietly. "My Da was murdered two years after I left Ireland."

"Did they catch the murderer?" he asked.

"They did not," she replied, her voice flat.

"Perhaps they will," he suggested.

"You mean the police? No, they won't. They never stood a chance of catching them--the murderers, there was more than one. Plus, it's been 12 years." She paused. "It was a hunting party of vampires who killed him. He was almost pureblooded fairy, ¾'s to be exact, so his blood would be pretty much as exotic and delicious as a pure fairy's."

Bill was taken aback, but he wasn't entirely shocked. He'd heard of events like this, hunting parties who went after fairies and other humanlike variations. In that moment, he was ashamed to be a vampire.

"In case you're wondering, I'm half fairy. My Da was ¾'s and Mam was ¼. This kind of puts me on the halfway mark with some of my fairy traits." She looked at him, gauging his reaction.

"Like how?" he asked.

"Well, basically it means that some of my fairy traits are altered from what they'd be if I were full-blooded."

"What about your scent? Fairies have a scent that we vampires find intoxicating, or so I've heard. Aren't you afraid to be alone with me?" he asked.

She sighed. "I don't have the same strong scent like a full-blooded fairy, nor the intoxicating blood. From what I've been told, I smell kind of sweet, like fresh air most of the time. But, just to be on the safe side, I have some herbs I was given which I'm supposed to take every day. The herbs mask my scent."

Oh, that's what _you _think, he decided. Sitting so closely to her in the car, she smelled so delicious, he felt as if he could fall right into her lap in a state of ecstacy and shivering desire.

"Anyway, back to your question," she continued. "After my Da's murder, I took a few months off school to try and find out who killed him. I promised myself that if I found the killers, I'd make them die a death more painful….." She paused for a long moment, taking deep slow breaths, trying to collect herself.

Bill gently took her hand in hopes of calming her. Her hand was warm and as soft as silken velvet.

"Unfortunately, it was…. I, we, were not able to find the vampires who did it. And, it would be hard to know for sure, unless I was able to get inside the vampire's homes to look through some of their belongings. And how easy is that? Not at all." She shook her head and went on.

"So after a few months in Ireland and some other parts of Europe, I went home to Seattle and finished my education. I go back to Ireland every summer for a month or so, just to recharge my batteries and see everyone, and while I'm there, I check to see if any new information about the murders has come to light."

"The murders? Someone else besides your father was killed?" Bill asked.

"Yes, my uncle, Da's brother, he was killed, too. His two sons still live back there and they always keep their eyes and ears open for new information. I'm glad I don't live back there--to be constantly reminded of what happened, I couldn't take it. Even living half a world away, sometimes the feelings, the anger and the desire for revenge, it weighs in on me so heavily, it pushes me to the edge of sanity."

"I understand anger like that. I've felt it."

"I know you have. Do you want me to help you with it? It's a talent of mine, helping folks with things like that," she offered.

"I don't think so, thank you." He was curious. "What would it entail, in case I change my mind?"

"I can help you decide what courses of action would finish the loop for you," she replied.

"Finish the loop?"

"Yes. See, anger is like a rope. The ends can't come together and make a loop unless you add a piece. The missing piece is actually a course of action and once you take the action, the ends of the loop come together and the anger is resolved. Some people call it closure. I call it finishing."

She made it seem too simple, he thought. "Sounds like a fairy trick. Why not just let the anger go away on its own?"

She smiled with her whole face, her eyes crinkled and she burst out laughing. "Why do that when it's so much more fun chokin' the shite out of someone?"

Bill smiled, glancing over at her.

"No, seriously," she continued, her smiled fading, "anger doesn't dissolve on its own. It just grows quiet, like a bear in hibernation. And after a while of hibernating, if something awakens it, it's like a wild, hungry bear, lashin' out at whatever is closest." She paused, "Which isn't best, I'm sure you'd agree."

He nodded. "How did you know about my anger? Did you read my mind?"

"No, not in the sense of telepathy. And as soon as I felt that anger in you and I realized it wasn't directed at me, I shut my recognition of it down so's I wouldn't keep noticing. I'm respectful of people's privacy. Besides, for all that I might sense, I still can't predict the future and I can't predict what people will do."

He was unnerved. "Are you able to read my thoughts?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I have no idea. I've never tried to read the thoughts of a vampire. If I could, I don't think it would be useful anyway. I have another tool I can use if I really need to, but I prefer not to use it because it's tiring to me, and I've never tried it on a vampire. Most likely if I did, you, being a vampire, would feel it. If it makes you feel better, I promise you I won't try to read your private thoughts, at least not without your permission."

"Thanks," he replied, pondering the value of a fairy's promises.

He pulled the car into Merlotte's and parked it. He hopped out and she waited for him to come around and open the door for her. As he made to open her door, he looked down at her through the car window and she looked up at him and smiled warmly.

He smiled back and then kicked himself again for letting down his guard. This woman was sounding stranger by the minute and she wasn't telling him everything. And now she was a fairy, to boot? God help him.

They went inside Merlotte's and sat in a booth.

"You've been very open with me and since---" he started to speak.

"I'm not usually so open with someone I just met, but I've got so much to do in a short period of time here, I'm hoping that maybe……." She trailed off as if she were struggling for the right words.

He raised his eyebrows as if to say "what?".

"I was hoping we could get to know each other," she stated.

He smiled and leaned forward. "Know each other in what way? Do you want to have sex with me?" He looked at her eyes, then let his gaze focus on her lips for a lingering moment.

Her mouth fell open, she jumped a little in her seat and blushed, "I meant, I don't know, maybe, I meant like friends, but that's not what I was s-saying," she spluttered, looking down and wringing her hands. "I'm embarrassed, give me a minute, you've got me all goofy." She looked down at the table and placed her hand against her forehead.

He smiled and put his chin in his hand. Ah, yes, sex, this was a vulnerable area for her. He sensed she was crazy-hungry for it and in all his years as a vampire, his instincts in this area had never failed him.

The new waitress, Kelly, handed Elliott and Bill menus. "May I start you off with a cocktail or something else to drink?"

"I'll have a TruBlood, O positive," he said and pushed his menu to the edge of the table.

"I'll have a microbrew," Elliot said, "hopefully something local if you have it, otherwise, whatever the barkeep recommends."

Kelly walked away. Elliot was still blushing and squirming. "Saved by the waitress. Let's talk about something else."

"What would you like to talk about?"

"Oh just anything, anything at all, except sex." She swallowed hard and looked down at her hands.

He smiled. She would be his. He would have her and she would come screaming his name, this he knew. It was only a matter of time, and judging by how she couldn't seem to get sex off her mind, it would be sooner rather than later.

Since she was momentarily disarmed, he asked her, "What's your connection to Sookie?"


	4. Chapter 4

The waitress returned and Elliot ordered a cold turkey sandwich.

She looked at Bill for a long time, considering how much he needed to know at this point. She didn't want to give him too much information before he had enough background for it to make sense.

"My grandfather is Sookie's great-grandfather," she told him, looking him in the eyes.

He said nothing, thinking maybe she would spill a little more if he clammed up, but no. She just stared at him silently, volunteering nothing extra.

"Hmmph," he grunted. "What's your last name?"

"Brigant," she replied.

"Of the Fairy Brigants?" he asked.

"One and the same," she smiled.

"Is your grandfather Niall Brigant?" She was a tough nut to crack, he decided.

She nodded.

"Isn't he some kind of royalty in the fairy world?"

"Yes. He's a Prince," she replied.

"Sookie is related to Niall Brigant?! Interesting. I don't know what to make of that, if it's good for Sookie or not good," he mused.

"Well the answer to that depends on her," she replied.

"So what's this project you mentioned earlier? And what's in that big trailer you're pulling behind your truck?" he asked her.

"I'm a chemist," Elliot answered. "There's a plant that grows in this area, and it's bigger and more potent here than pretty much anywhere. Its blooms are concentrated with a chemical compound I need to complete a set of pharmaceutical compounds for a medical protocol I'm working on. While I'm here, I'm going to take some extracts of the compound, dry them, and get some cuttings of the plants for growing back home in my greenhouse."

She looked at him. The more in detail she got, the more his eyes seemed to glaze over. The waitress brought her sandwich and Elliot picked up a half of it. She took a bite and chewed slowly, buying a minute to consider how much more to tell him.

"Anyway, to answer part of your question," she leaned in towards him, "I have some lab equipment with me--just the essentials. I need to find a house to rent so I can set up my little mini lab in the kitchen and take my extracts of the plant."

"Is there anything illegal connected with this," he asked.

"No, but do me a favor and don't tell anyone what I'm doing," she frowned.

He snorted. "Would you mind telling me why not? I mean, add this up from my point of view. It's not illegal, but it's a secret?"

She looked at him with a puzzled expression on her face, "That's interesting how you seem to breathe sometimes. There's something a little different about you, Bill."

"You think?" he asked. He was losing patience. "Please answer my question. Why all the secrecy?"

"I'm not yet satisfied that I can trust you, Bill. I wonder how we can fix that. Oh, I know." She seemed to be a little sarcastic and Bill found himself growing irritated.

She smiled and fairly chirped, "You can let me inside your head so I can see what kind of person you are and where your loyalties lie."

"What?!" He had no words to describe the ridiculousness of her proposition.

"What's in it for me if I do that?" he asked.

"I'll let you inside my head for a little while, in return," she said. "It won't be like human glamouring, but you'll be able to ask me some questions knowing that my answers are truthful."

He sat back and set his jaw. "I don't trust you walking around inside my head."

"That's because you don't fully trust yourself, Bill."

"Don't trifle with me, Elliot. You don't know me so don't profess to, at least not to me because I don't buy it. You're wasting your breath."

"Bill, please, I don't have very much time. It took me a year to prepare the other compounds in my protocol, and if I can't get this last compound added before the others start to degrade, I'll have to start all over again. I can't have anything get in the way. It means a great deal to me, and it may mean a lot to you too."

"How so?" he asked, skeptical.

"I'm getting way ahead of myself," she took another large bite of her sandwich, washing it down with a big long drink of water.  
Anything to sidetrack the conversation, he thought.

"There is another way we could get to know each other," Bill said.

"And what might that be," she looked at him.

He placed his forearms on the table, put his chin down, and licked his lips ever so slightly. In a low voice he said, "You know."

Her eyes widened and her heart beat quickened. She gave a little nod. She wanted to speak but words escaped her. All she could see in her mind's eye were images, his arms around her, lifting her off her feet, her legs wrapping around his hips while his cock slipped into her, all the way in, to the hilt. She could almost feel him push down on her hips to grind her onto him, rocking his pelvis against her, sliding himself in and out, gentle one minute, forceful the next.

He watched her from across the table as her breathing deepened and her eyes darkened. Her eyelids seemed to droop a little. His mouth dropped open as he saw her lips swell and redden slightly.

"Wrap that up," he pointed at her meal, "let's get out of here. Miss," he signaled the waitress for the check, pulling some cash from his wallet. He grabbed Elliot's half-eaten sandwich and wrapped it in a napkin, stuffing it into her backpack. He estimated what he thought the check would be, added on some extra for a tip and half-dragged Elliot from the booth. She was very aroused; he could feel it pulsing off her. She shuddered a little as the muscles in her belly contracted.

He could feel his fangs running out as he pushed open Merlotte's door and guided her through the parking lot to his car.

He put her in the car, quickly buckling her seatbelt. Deftly sliding behind the wheel, he fired the ignition and put the car into gear in lightning speed. He drove home from Merlotte's, reaching 80 miles per hour much of the way. She was still breathing hard and deep and was starting to slide her hands up and down her thighs. "Hmmm," she whimpered very softly.

He parked the car in front of the house, opened her car door and took her by the hand into the house. He looked at her with his eyebrows raised a little, as if to say, where? She pointed up the stairs to the bedroom. He swept her into his arms and leaped up the stairs and into the bedroom.

He stood her on the floor in front of him. She was trembling with desire.

He yearned to touch her, to worship her body, but he was afraid he might lose control. Her scent, her very essence, ignited every cell in his body. Finally, he reached out and took a handful of her dark curls, lifting it to his face, breathing deeply of her sweetness. In that moment, she groaned, and he kissed her lips gently, slowly moving the tip of his tongue against the place where their lips met. One of his fangs pricked her lower lip and he tasted her blood. Oh god, she tasted like nothing he could imagine even existed. He moved his hands over her body, removing her clothes, her panties. He could feel himself spiraling down, down, into a wondrous place of swirling colors, of light and dark electricity.

She moaned, "Bill," and yanked clumsily at his clothes. He stepped out of his pants and lowered himself onto his knees before her, looping his arms around her thighs. She gasped as he stood up, lifting her smoothly off the floor, his hands under the bottom of her ass. He tilted his pelvis up to meet her and slid her down smoothly and slowly over his shaft. "Ooooh," they both sighed, looking into each other's eyes. Still holding her against him, he reached his left arm completely around the fullest part of her bottom and his right arm all the way around the back of her waist. He pushed her away and pulled her back against him, his cock stroking her smoothly and deeply, his rhythm ever so slowly building in speed. He suckled her nipples gently at first, then deeply. She cried out with the pleasure of it, whimpering "oh, oh, oh," higher and higher in pitch. He began stroking her quickly now, in rapid speed. She could feel her climax building starting in her hands and feet, up her legs and arms in a powerful tingling wave, pulsing inward to the core of her belly. She was all at once frightened and enthralled, it had never felt as powerful as this, she began screaming, "like that like that, oh god, Bill," as she came in near-convulsion-like waves. She sobbed in ecstacy, "Oh god, fuck me, Bill, yes, please, oh!"

He laid her on the bed onto her back, withdrawing himself from her wetness. Placing his hands on the inside of her knees, he spread her legs apart and lay with his face above her Mons. He kissed the smooth skin of her inner thighs, licking, biting, nipping small scratches, drawing small drops of blood, which he licked, savoring it on his tongue. She was heaven itself to him.

He slipped his tongue into her slit, licking slowly and smoothly as she arched and gasped, grabbing at his hair, greedily pulling his face into her. He licked and kissed her outer lips and then slowly and carefully, he moved his mouth to the side of her mound and to the top of her thigh. He pushed his fangs into her femoral artery while pushing two fingers into her wet vagina. "Oh, yes," she cried out while his own body shuddered with the pleasure of her extraordinary blood. He took several long pulls of her, then sat up for a brief moment. He felt drunk, dizzy, out of his mind. For a brief moment, he didn't know where he was, who she was, or what they were doing. He looked down at her splayed before him, open to him, trusting him.

"Oh, Elliot", he said.

He gently lowered himself down onto her, his legs between her legs and slid himself into her again. He began stroking again. He plunged in and out of her, sighing, moaning, and finally his climax was upon him. He roared his pleasure like a man unleashed, freed from the chains that bound him tightly.

He relaxed upon her, and retracted his fangs.

She looked in his eyes. He saw everything there, her whole life, who she was, what she wanted, the love she had to give, he could see it all. He kissed her lips and lay down next to her, taking her into his arms.

She laid her head against his chest; he heard her breathing grow rhythmic and even as she fell asleep. He looked at the curtains against the window and the moonlight outside. Tears welled in his eyes and slipped down the sides of his cheeks. He had been alone for so long.


	5. Chapter 5

When Elliot's breathing slowed and deepened, he assumed she was asleep and it was safe to get up without waking her.

Easing himself onto the edge of the bed, he sat with his back to her, facing the moonlit window seat. If he'd known when he arose at Sunset that he'd be entertaining a supernatural female relative of Sookie's tonight, he would have been surprised. Not that he didn't get his share of offers.

He could have a new woman every night if he were so inclined, such were the hungry sidelong glances directed his way from bored housewives every time he went to the store to replenish his supply of TruBlood or obtain other household supplies. Indeed, when he was a younger vampire, he'd been very inclined. Sex was his plaything, his pursuit, his reason for living. He could easily satisfy two women at once and over the decades his tastes had run increasingly to the exotic and creative.

His Maker had taught him many sexual tricks, and even though he'd been with her exclusively as mates for nearly a hundred years, sexually they'd brought in many other partners to join in their fun. Over time, sex became simply an act of release and he drank his fill of it whenever the mood struck or opportunity presented itself. It was no longer about love and it was often an expression of anger as his frustration with his Maker grew. After leaving his Maker a few years ago, his appetites had not abated, and he'd partied increasingly often with his vampire friends, partaking in wild all-night orgies of sex and feeding.

But then came Sookie and everything changed for him. The sex with her was immediately on a higher plane and it became lovemaking for him again, as it had often been when he was a human. It became healing once more, spiritual, soulful, the just dessert of a life well-lived. When he and Sookie came together, he was renewed, and as wonderful as the sex was with Sookie, it was only part of the reward because there was so much more to the life they soon came to share.

They lived their lives together; she went to work, he worked on his projects, and they shared with each other the ups and downs of daily life, all the happenings both boring and exciting which any other couple experiences. They came home to the same places, either his or hers. They were always there for each other and they both knew they always would be. Soon, fear of trusting had been replaced by the sense that together they had it all and would never lose it.

And then the bottom fell out.

He should have known better than to let himself love Sookie since his Maker was still alive and could call him back to her side at any time, but the comings and goings of his own heart were out of his control starting the very night he met Sookie. As he'd often been told, love will not be created---but rather, it is born and if it finds you, consider yourself fortunate and do its bidding. So he followed his heart and embraced love, knowing full well the possibility of his Maker calling him back was more a guarantee than a risk.

He could see these things now. Hindsight was perfect vision, but at the time, he'd deluded himself that somehow magically, everything would work out for him to stay with Sookie. He was so happy with her and he always wanted more of it. One more day, dear God, please give me another day with her. That was his mantra, his prayer, the spell he hoped to cast to bind the wings of Fate. Unfortunately, as many would say, by praying so hard to hold back something horrible, perhaps he'd granted the dreaded thing entrance and permission to lay waste to his and Sookie's life together.

When he first heard his Maker, Lorena, calling him back to her via the special telepathy which exists between Maker and Child, it was shortly after he'd risen from his rest period. She invaded his consciousness so abruptly and so loudly, he knocked over a large antique pitcher in the bathroom. He'd just stood in horror and stared at the shattered pitcher spread across his newly tiled floor. It wasn't the broken pitcher which horrified and transfixed him, it was her, Lorena, and her hideous attentions.

She was, without any doubt, the most cruel person he'd ever had the misfortune of meeting. The thought of having to be with her again sickened him to his very core, but because of Lorena's hold and power over him, he knew he'd be forced to leave Sookie and return to Lorena. There was no hope that she'd change her mind. No. When she sounded like this, with this tone, her words grating on his very soul, "Bill, come to me. I need you, now," it meant she was dug in on her own needs. He'd once remarked that even the fires of Hell couldn't change her mind once she decided she wanted something or someone.

The most he could hope for was to buy a little time before leaving, time he desperately needed to finish the largest phase of his vampire directory. Once he had that in hand, he could offer it to the Queen as a tool for her governing needs with the hopes she'd appreciate its value and grant his wish to be released from his Maker. It was his one and only hope.

And so, he ignored the first call from Lorena and redoubled his efforts on the directory.

The next call came three days later. Her message had a more urgent tone, "Bill, I need you with me. Now. Why have you delayed?" He redoubled his efforts on his directory. God, there just wasn't enough time during his waking hours to get so much done that needed doing.

And there was his sweet Sookie, coming home to him every night, wanting him, needing him and he couldn't take much time to be with her. He focused on his work harder than ever. He had to. Escape from Lorena was imperative. Being a vampire was bad enough, but being a vampire bound to Lorena was Hell beyond imagination. And it seemed to go on forever.

Soon Lorena began calling Bill daily, eventually devolving her communications to only two angry words, "Come now."

After two weeks of her invading his mind so often that he could rarely concentrate on his work, he picked up the phone with a slight level of resignation and dialed her Seattle cell phone number. She answered after the first ring. "Bill, you had better have a goddamn good excuse for this. Come to me, now. I'm in Jackson, Mississippi. Call me when you arrive tomorrow. If you don't arrive tomorrow, I'll come to you and I'll destroy everything in your life that's holding you back."

Less than an hour after the call with Lorena, Sookie came home. He was at the computer, working on his directory. She wanted to make love but he was too numb to meet her desire with his own. His directory wasn't yet at the offering phase, and he knew he'd have to leave for Jackson later tonight. He felt his whole life and everything he cared for simply and completely falling away. It was like a nightmare where one is falling from a cliff, head first. Only in this nightmare, he was falling face up, and Sookie was standing on the cliff, looking down at him, calling to him, reaching for him, and he couldn't stop himself from falling and falling, her face growing smaller in the ever-increasing distance, her voice growing more faint.

He went to Lorena in Jackson without telling Sookie. He couldn't tell her and he still had hopes that somehow, he'd be able to work the situation back into his favor and return to his life with Sookie. Unfortunately, his hopes were dashed when Lorena made him prisoner as payment for his lack of "good attitude", as she put it.

When Sookie found out about Lorena, it was through Eric and Bill hadn't been present to explain his side. Hell, even if he'd been present, he could barely understand his side of things himself let alone explain it to another.

Who could possibly explain such a strange set of circumstances, this perfect storm of conquest, one vampire over another? Yes, he had known that vampire children were bound to obey their Makers, and he'd been warned that being a mate to another vampire was dangerous because of the power it gave each vampire over the other, but he'd never imagined how all of those things could play out in his own existence.

In the end, after Sookie had killed Lorena to save his life, he'd lost her entirely, one catastrophe leading to another and Sookie refusing to talk to him. Even if he could explain in a way that made sense, he didn't know if it would matter to her anymore. He only knew that he'd loved her with all his heart and now she was gone, completely gone, and it seemed, forever gone.

He looked over his shoulder at Elliot and wondered. Would this exotic and strange woman bring him anything worth holding onto?


	6. Chapter 6

Elliot stretched out in the big bed and rolled over to face the bedroom morning sun was streaming in so brightly, she knew it must be a beautiful day outside. The sunny April weather here in Bon Temps was such a treat after the wintry gray skies of the Pacific Northwest.

She smiled as she remembered last night. Bill was a passionate and skilled lover. She tried for a moment to feel guilty about it since she and Sookie were related, but she couldn't make the guilt last. Bill had made her feel like no man ever had before. She had reached heights of pleasure she didn't even know were possible, and this had been only their first time. Just think what the sex could be like if they continued their intimate relationship, coming to know what pleased each other in new and wonderful ways, she mused.

That probably wouldn't and shouldn't happen, she chided herself. Even though she didn't feel guilty and felt that she and Bill had every right to have sex, she believed it wasn't a good idea to risk letting a romance cloud her professional judgment. If she came to love Bill, she might not make the right decisions in regards to him and that constituted risky behavior.

Since it was daylight, she assumed Bill would be at rest and hopefully there were no human houseguests besides herself so she hopped out of bed in just panties and a t-shirt and started searching the house for a bathroom.

In short order she found the bathroom and starting drawing a bath in the huge tub. While waiting for the tub to fill, she explored the house a little, such a beautiful old house, she admired, walking from room to room. She found a note from Bill taped to the front door. It read "You're welcome to stay again tonight. Feel free to use my car if you need to leave the premises, which you may want to since there's no food in the house. The keys are in the small desk next to the door." She smiled. Quite the gentleman, that Bill, perhaps he'd noticed it might be difficult for her to drive her truck and trailer on the backroads.

She got her suitcase from the truck and when she turned to bring the suitcase back inside, she noticed a sweet little collie dog laying on the front porch. She sat and petted it for awhile. It curved itself in close to her body and laid its head on her shoulder, much like a small child would do.

"Well, aren't you the sweetest little dog," she said. It made a little "rowl" noise and licked Elliot squarely on her lips. She spitted 'pthaaa' and the dog whined after she did it, wiping her mouth.

"Oh, did I hurt your feelings?" she said. She hugged the dog and it licked her lips again. "Oh, for pete's sake, you're persistent. What's your name?"

"Rowl," the dog said again.

"What's that?" she asked. "Are ya tryin' to say Rowell? I think you are. That must be your name.

"Rowl", the dog said.

"Good job", she praised.

"And you can call me Elliot, or just Elle if Elliot is kinda hard to say." The dog lay half on her lap as she stroked it gently under its chin and along its nose and muzzle. Its mouth hung open a little from the pleasure of her touch.

Her stomach growled. "Ach, Rowell, I'd better get something in my belly."

The dog slid off her lap and barked.

"I think I should go to that cute little restaurant down the road and have a great big juicy hamburger with a big plate of fries and a big glass of Coke on ice."

The dog barked again.

"And if they have pie, I'll have a big slice."

The dog put his head down and whined.

"They don't have it?" she asked and laughed. "Ok, well I'll have to eat extra fries. I'll see you later, Rowell." The dog barked, bounded off the porch and ran to the woods, disappearing quickly into the thicket.

She went into the house and hopped into the tub. Laying back, she sighed and remarked, "nice tub". Then she dipped under the water and wet her hair. Emerging, she shampooed her hair, washed her body and rinsed using the shower attachment.

She dried and dressed in a pair of jeans and a tank top shirt. No need to dress up, she figured.

She brushed her hair and decided to let it dry in its naturally curly preference, working her quick magic with a few creams and cosmetics, and pulled on her favorite kick-around sandals. Scooping up her bag and Bill's carkeys, she stepped out onto the porch and breathed deeply of the sweet Louisiana air. "Mmm," she murmured.

After checking to make sure the house, truck and trailer were all locked, she got into Bill's car and drove out the way she believed was the correct route to the restaurant she and Bill had visited last night.

Bill's car was neat and clean and drove like a dream. If she had to, she'd guess that the oil was clean, the fluids were all full, and the engine was fully serviced and up to date. The tires were probably perfectly inflated, as well. She just knew it, smiling, he really seemed like an efficient person.

After being on the road for a just a few short minutes she was at Merlotte's. Yes, this is the place, she thought. There weren't any cars in the front, though, and only two in the back. Were they open? What time was it? Ten-thirty, the clock on the dash said. She decided to go in and see if they were open and if they weren't, maybe they could tell her where to go to get something to eat.

She went in and saw a man working behind the bar. He looked to be a trim and attractive thirty-something.

"Hi," she said.

"Howdy," he replied warmly. "Come in. We're not open yet, but I'll be happy to serve you what I can, maybe something simple, like a cheeseburger and fries?"

His hair was damp-looking, as if he'd just had a shower.

"Yes, that would be perfect. I'm so hungry."

"Can I get you something to drink before I get your burger started?"

"Yes, I'd love a big Coke and a cup of coffee with cream, please, if you have those things available yet." She smiled at him gratefully.

He looked at her as he set her beverages on the bar in front of her. She looked all clean and shiny and she smelled delicious. She smelled good when he was his shifted self too, but this was a perfumed Elliot. She thanked him and he nodded. He took his leave into the kitchen.

Elliot took her laptop out of her bag and hit the power button. While it was booting up, she dug for her cell phone and dialed Niall.

"Seanathair?" she said when he answered.

"I'm here in Bon Temps now. I got in last night. …..Uh, hunh, yes, I'm staying with Bill Compton for a couple days…..yes….he's very nice, and he's even offered me the use of his car today….no, Sookie's out of town on business. What business would that be, Seanathair? I thought she was a waitress.…..What?! Oh no, that can't be good. Oh no……yes, I will…..yes, I will. Ta gra agam duit, Seanathair. Slan go foihll".

Sam had returned from the kitchen and was purposedly loitering, trying to listen to her conversation. He didn't usually eavesdrop, but he had no compunctions about doing it when it seemed like a good idea. He was pretty sure he knew who she was but he'd rather let her reveal that information herself.

"What language were you speaking in?" he asked.

"Gaelic, Irish," she answered.

"Are you Irish?" he inquired.

"Yes, I am." She smiled and nodded.

"Well, I don't usually say things like this, but you are a very beautiful specimen of Irish womanhood. What's your name?" he asked.

"Elliot," she replied. "What's yours?"

"I'm Sam Merlotte. I didn't catch your last name."

"Brigant. My name is Elliot Brigant. Are you the person my grandfather has been in touch with for the last year or so in regards to certain folks here in Bon Temps?"

"Well, I don't know if I'm "the" person, but he's phoned me a few times, yes."

"My grandfather is very grateful to you, I don't know if he's said so or not. So, this is the place where Sookie works as a waitress then, right?"

"Yes," he answered. "I'm her boss; I own this place."

"It's very nice. So, what animal form do you usually take?" She smiled since she was almost 100% sure of the answer. "My grandfather told me you're a pure shape shifter."

He cocked his head sideways. "I'm usually a dog."

"Oh, how lovely." Her face filled with a broad smile and her eyes crinkled with delight.

He refilled her coffee.

"Thank you, Rowell." They met eyes and both chuckled softly.

"I was thinking that this was the cleanest and sweetest-smelling dog I'd ever had the pleasure of meeting. The smartest, too."

"Why thank you," Sam bowed slightly and smiled. He was charmed. This was a far cry from most people's reaction when they found out he was a shifter and he turned into a dog form. Most people usually thought it was disgusting or it was hilarious. Few people had the respect for a dog that he felt they should have. If they only knew how intelligent and loving dogs truly are, he'd often thought, they'd be ashamed for making fun of dogs. Or of him for turning into one.

"Next time you come over in your preferred shape, I'll have something special for you."

"Well," he leaned into the bar in front of her, "this is my preferred shape.

"Either way," she flirted right back.

"So, how long you gonna be in town?" he inquired.

"It depends on how my projects progress. I can't stay more than a couple months, though. That's the outside limit."

"Well, maybe you will stay longer, who knows, you might come to like it here." He looked at her and imagined having sex with her. He knew he was getting way ahead of the game, but he couldn't help it. She was a very attractive woman.

She propped her elbows on the bar and her chin in her hands. She could see desire in his eyes and felt the lust sliding from him towards her in dense waves. No doubt, she imagined, he would be a passionate lover. Looking up at him she recalled from a conversation with her grandfather, "Hey," she frowned, "I thought you had a thing for Sookie."

He reached into the sink right in front of her and paused with his smiling face near hers. "Sookie who?" he answered in a low voice.

She smiled and shook her head.

"Oh, your burger," he jumped. "I've got to turn it." He ran back to the kitchen.

He came back a couple minutes later with her burger. "The fries will be another minute."

"Thank you so much, I'm so hungry." She took a big bite. "Mmm, hot, hot." She waved her hand in front of her open mouth.

She took a big swallow of pop and continued eating.

He went into the kitchen and came back shortly with a dinner plate towering with french fries. It was piled so high it looked like one more would make the whole thing spill off the edges.

She looked at the plate and joked, "I don't think that's gonna be enough."

"Let me know when you're ready for more," he laughed, "I have to go into the back for awhile. We don't open for another hour and I've got some things to do before the staff starts coming in. You might see the cooks come in before I come back out. Don't be alarmed, they work here."

She nodded, her mouth too full to speak. Dividing her attention between the food and her laptop, she pulled up a picture of the native plant she needed to pick and extract from.

Sam came back. "How's your burger? Everything okay?"

"Oh, it's wonderful," she replied. "Sam, have you ever seen any of these plants around here? They're called Burlis Noverlimin."

"That's Louisiana Lightning," he answered. Oh, yeah, we've got those all over our woods. In fact, I'm pretty sure there's quite a bit of it in the woods behind Bill Compton's place."

"Could you tell me where exactly?" she asked.

"Yes, but after the lunch rush is over, I could show you myself, if you like."

"Oh, that would be great, I'd really appreciate it. Maybe I could go to the grocery store and run some errands in town while you're working the lunch rush. Should I meet you back here or do you prefer to meet me at Bill's place?"

"I'll meet you there," he responded.

"Perfect." She smiled, took another big bite and continued chewing happily. This was all progressing nicely, she thought. But Sookie, she was a concern. Her grandfather had revealed she's working for the vampires, doing telepathy, helping them determine their friends versus their enemies. This was an outrageous thing for a fairy to do, in terms of the fairy culture and codes. Elliot was surprised that Grandfather hadn't put a stop to it. Apparently there was a reason why and it had to do with a vampire named Eric. That was all the information she had.

She finished her burger and started on her fries. Hmm, I need ketchup, she supposed. No sooner had she thought it than a lovely young woman came out of the back and stepped behind the bar, not more than a few feet from Elliot's perch.

"Hi," Elliot said, "might I procure some ketchup from you?"

"Lady, we're closed, I don't know what you're doin' in here. Sam!!" she yelled into the back.

Elliot swallowed and was about to explain when Sam came out. "Tara," he said, "this is Elliot, she's related to Sookie, they're cousins. She's visiting here from the west coast."

"Hmmph," Tara said. "I never heard anything about some cousin named Elliot. That's a lie. Who are you and what do you want?"

She glared at Elliot, determined to get to the bottom of this situation. Sookie was continuously in so much trouble anymore these days. She'd been shot at, stabbed, her house had been burned by an arsonist, and more. She wanted to protect Sookie from all of it, but Sookie's life had gone down a whole new path these last couple years and Tara was mostly left out.

"Sookie's never met me and she doesn't know about me. My grandfather is Sookie's great-grandfather."

"Sookie's great-grandfather, your grandfather?" Tara was incredulous.

"Yes, she met him a few months ago. She may not have spoken about it to anyone." Elliot made her voice gentle. She could sense by her own advanced empathy skills that behind the bravado, Tara was actually very frightened for Sookie.

Tara gasped, "Yes, he had a different-sounding name, she told me about him. And he was all beautiful and shit, even though he was old, just beautiful and……" Tara trailed off. Perhaps she was sharing too much. "Uh, um, and he was different, like a different species, maybe you know what I'm talking about here?"

"Yes," Elliot replied, "a fairy."

Tara, sighed in relief, "Yes, he's a fairy. So, you're related to him, too?"

"Yes," Elliot supplied.

"Then you have fairy blood in you, too? Or," Tara blinked hard, straight-faced, "maybe you're pure fairy like the old guy."

"No," Elliot smiled, "only part fairy, the rest of me is human."

"Oh, good." Tara nodded. "I'm glad. We don't need no full-blooded fairies up in here. If a vampire comes in, they'd eat that fairy up. God, what a mess that'd be."

"Yes, it sure would." Elliot nodded, straight-faced. "Do you work with Sookie?"

"I do. I tend bar, and she's a waitress."

"How long have you known her?"

"More than 20 years. We were kids together, her, me and Jason. When Sookie and Jason's parents died and they came to live with Gran, that made them neighbors to me and my Mama. My Mama's a drunk, always has been, and I'd go and stay with Sookie at Gran's when my Mama was on a binge. Sookie and I became best friends right then. We were both about eight. We've been best friends ever since. Lately though, well, I don't know," Tara's voice faded.

Elliot consciously turned up her empathy and pushed it out to Tara.

Tara sighed deeply and pulled up a stool. She sat directly in front of Elliot, but facing to the side, and began running a hand back and forth slowly along the inner edge of the bar, feeling it, worrying it.

After a minute or so of silence she said quietly, "I'm so scared for Sookie lately. I thought it was bad when she met Bill and they started seeing each other, but then they broke up. Sookie decided she hated him after that. At first, I was glad they were done, I'd get my Sookie back and maybe she'd come back to the human side of the world. But then, oh yeah, then."

Elliot inquired softly, "What happened?"

"Eric Northman, the big vampire sheriff came along, and when I say big, I mean huge. The guy is fucking tall and big and the way he looks at people, it's damn scary, that's all I gotta say. Anyway, she started taking time off work and going with Eric to all these vampire conventions and shit. I'd ask her what she was doin', like, was she letting them all feed off her? And she said no, that she was using her telepathy to help the vampires and they were paying her good money to do it. I didn't think it was all that good, especially at first, but she says it's better now. And, she's sleepin' with him."

"With who, Eric?" Elliot asked.

"With Eric, the big motherfucking sheriff vampire, the scary one. Man, he just scares the shit outta me. I bet he could snap my neck just as easy as I could snap my fingers. Drives a 'Vette, too. I don't trust a man that drives a Corvette. It's just so obvious, like he's saying, ride in my car and I'll let you suck my……" she cut herself off and shook her head.

She looked at Elliot. "I'm afraid he's gonna turn Sookie into a vampire. Did you know that one time a few months ago, Eric came here to see her and she wasn't done working yet so he waited outside for her. Then she went outside after her shift, and while they were talking, another vampire came walking out of the woods, some big king vampire or some shit like that. And then while the three of them were talking, another vampire runs up and throws a bunch of silver strands and shit over Eric, and he falls down. Then Sookie gets in her car and runs down a vampire and then Eric gets up and he pulls out this big-ass knife and cuts off the head of the last vampire who ran up and was trying to kill them. Oh, god. When all that shit started happening, why didn't Sookie just run back into Merlotte's? But nooo, she's got to be the hero and save everybody. It's like she's so far into this vampire world, she's almost just livin' on the fringes of the human world now.

"It's like he's got a spell over her, or something. When he comes in here, she gets all giggly and gooey and it just makes me sick. And he hugs her and while she's all standin' there in his arms, he looks at me and Sam and it's like he's saying, 'don't fuck with me and Sookie or you'll be real sorry'. I swear, that's the feeling I get. Sam, too."

"Sam what?" He came behind the bar carrying a box of napkins.

"Oh, I was just tellin' her about Eric, you know, Eric, that big-ass vampire Sookie's lettin' bite her."

"Yeah, I'll tell you what I know later." He looked at Elliot.

Tara raised her eyebrows and smiled walking to the other end of the bar to pick up a small rack of wineglasses. "Oh, yeah, I see how it is. You're working a lot faster these days, boss." She giggled.

"Alright, Tara." Sam frowned at her. "So, I just gotta get the crew through the rush and then I can take off. I'm guessing I'll be at Bill's by about two-thirty or so. Is that okay?"

"Yes, it's perfect, that'll give me time to get to the store and back. Oh, can you direct me to a grocery store?"

"Sure, just keep going down this road, driving in the direction away from Bill's and it'll have you in front of the IGA in about five minutes."

"Ok, thanks, Sam."

"You're welcome. Oh, how much do I owe you for the meal?"

"Nothing, it's on me."

"No please, let me pay. I don't want to be a burden."

"No, forget it."

"Alright, Sam, then maybe you'll let me pay you in a different fashion."

Sam smiled broadly and looked up. "Oh, there is a God. Thank you, God."

"No, I'm sorry, not that way. But something you may like better."

"I don't think there's anything I like better than that."

"Oh, I think there might be something you would like even better."

"Okay, well, I'll keep an open mind."

She smiled and nodded. "See you this afternoon, kind sir."

"Yes." He smiled and nodded, then turned back to his box of napkins.

"Bye, Tara, it was good visiting with you." Elliot waved at Tara.

"Yeah, for me, too."

Tara and Sam both worked quietly behind the bar for a couple minutes. Neither had spoken since Elliot left.

"Sam?" Tara asked.

"Hmm," he responded.

"I feel good, really good, like everything's gonna be okay with Sookie." Tara looked at Sam.

"I hope so." He wiped down the bar.


	7. Chapter 7

Elliot carried the groceries into Bill's kitchen and opened the fridge to put the freshies inside. There was plenty of room in the fridge, all it contained was six four-packs of TruBlood and three bottles of Cristal champagne. Hmm, she thought, looks like he entertains champagne drinkers, how interesting, probably women.

She sat on a stool next to the counter when she'd finished putting away the groceries and guzzled a cold bottle of water. Her mind kept coming back to Bill, and everytime she thought of him, she smiled and sighed. The thought of him warmed her inside somehow. "I'm being silly," she laughed, "I just met him."

She was startled from her daydream by a loud rap on a door at one end of the kitchen. She went to the door and opened it. "Sam, you're a pleasant surprise. I thought you'd be longer, but this is great."

"Well, I'm glad. I was able to get out a little early. You know, I totally forgot to ask you, what do you need these plants for, anyway? They're kinda pretty and they come in three different colors, but I've never seen them used in flower arrangements or anything. Once you pick 'em, they wilt fast, even in a vase of water."

"They come in three different colors? Seriously? That might be significant for my purposes," she paused, thinking, "but to answer your question, I'm a chemist. I need the plants to derive a compound from them for use in a pharmaceutical treatment I've developed. This compound is the last thing I need to complete the set. Then I'll be ready to start the final testing phase."

"Oh, sounds interesting. So these are like drugs then?" he asked.

"Yes, they'll be used as treatment medications. Just to make it clear in case you're worrying, I have all the proper clearance to do what I'm doing. I'm a fully credentialed chemist and this isn't like a crack or meth lab operation. It's a medical treatment for individuals afflicted with a fairly rare disorder to have a much higher quality of life. This is a treatment, not anything to get high, so to speak," she said.

"Sounds good to me," Sam shrugged.

"Ok, thanks. I just didn't want you to be concerned that the cops are gonna be bashin' down your door in the middle of the night, ripping your place apart looking for contraband," she assured him.

"Ok, thanks, I wasn't worried, though. You might want to put on some boots if you have some, 'cuz it's kinda marshy in some of the areas we'll be walking and if you don't wear boots, you might come back with a few leeches on your ankles."

"Oh, god," Elliot said in a deep serious voice, "I'll get my boots from the truck. Oooooh," she shuddered. "Would you like something to drink? I've got cold Cokes, cans of iced tea, and bottles of water."

"I'll have a bottle of water, thanks," he answered.

She handed him a water from the fridge and said, "I'll be right back. Please make yourself comfortable."

She returned a minute later with a pair of knee-high black rubber gardening boots. "Ugh, leeches," she said to herself as she slipped socks on her feet and then the boots. "Thanks for thinking of this," she looked at Sam, her eyes still wide.

"I'd think you'd be fine with bugs and whatnot, being a chemist and all," he remarked as they traipsed out the door and across the back yard towards the woods.

"Nope, I hate bugs. I leave those to the bug scientists, oooooh, creepy crawly, ugh," she shuddered again. "I just had a thought, should I have brought my gun? Will there be 'gators out here wantin' to bite us?" She had stopped walking, ready to turn and go back.

"No," he laughed, "if we encounter any gators, we'll just climb a tree."

"Oh for the love St. Michael let me go get my gun," she said, her face all serious.

"No, I's just kiddin' ya. You're fun to tease." He chuckled and shook his head.

"Thanks. I think." She looked at him with her chin down and a put-on frown, a smile teasing the corners of her mouth.

"So you're a fairy, too, just like Sookie," he stated.

"Yes, except that Sookie's one-eighth fairy and I'm one-half fairy," she confirmed, "and I was raised as a fairy by fairy parents and unfortunately, Sookie's wasn't. While I'm here in Bon Temps, I want to spend some time with Sookie and see if I can help her understand and assimilate her heritage and what it means to be a fairy, how to work with it, if you will. I heard she's telepathic."

"Yep, she's telepathic. She hears people's thoughts, and that's a problem for her. It's like she can't shut it off and have peace and quiet inside her own mind when she's around other people. Are you telepathic, too?"

"Yes, I have that ability, but my default mode—for lack of a better word, is for it to be shut off. If I need to use it, I have to consciously focus to bring it up. Sounds like Sookie's default mode is to be always switched on. I should be able to help her change that. But let me ask you something, does it bother her to hear people's thoughts?"

"Oh, yeah, she hates it. She says people are always thinking about sex or passing judgment on other folks. She says it's so loud sometimes, it's hard to even concentrate on anything else, like if someone's what she calls a broadcaster," he replied.

"Hmm. Ok, that's good to know. Sounds like she's probably putting too much stock into what people are thinking at any given moment. In actuality, just taking a little slice of someone's thoughts is not much of an indicator of how they really think or feel or what they'd do in a given situation. It takes a lot more than that to get the big picture about someone.

"That's why it would have been nice for Sookie to have had fairy training. She would have learned how to control her gifts at a young age. It's a shame that didn't happen," Elliot said.

"Well Sookie said her telepathy was inherited from her human grandfather on her father's side," Sam said, "so how could fairy training have helped her with that?"

"It's highly unlikely Sookie inherited this from her human grandfather," Elliot disagreed. I guess he doesn't know that Sookie's human grandfather on her father's side is not her biological grandfather. Oh well, that was Sookie's secret to keep. "Even if she did inherit it from her human grandfather," Elliot allowed, "her fairy traits should enable her to control it. She just needs to be shown how. Provided she lets me help her, I'll do that."

"Oh, I think she'd love the help. I can't imagine why she wouldn't," he raised his eyebrows and half-shrugged at Elliot.

They walked quietly for awhile, enjoying the Spring afternoon under the fragrant bows of magnolia trees.

"It's so lovely here in the woods," Elliot said as she took a deep breath and lifted her face to the sunlight filtering through the canopy of tree branches and leaves above them.

"Hey, look, here we are, this is the first cluster of your Louisiana Lightning plants," Sam pointed to a bright yellow stand of flowering plants under a large magnolia tree. "They have no smell," he pointed out, "but they're pretty and when they're in full bloom they look kind of like lightning bolts, well, kinda."

She walked to the plants and counted 22 separate stalks. This was a good start. She wasn't real sure how many plants she'd need until she started the extraction process, though.

"Do you need just the flowers or do you use the green parts too?" Sam asked.

"Both parts," she replied, "but the flowers have the highest concentration of the compound. How long do you think they'll stay in bloom?"

"About two months, from what I've seen, if it's a normal Spring," he answered. "Let's see, it's the end of April now, and they've been in bloom for a couple weeks. They'll probably be in full bloom for another month or so, maybe a little longer."

"Ok, that's good to know, thanks," she looked up at him and smiled. Was he standing a little too close for platonic friends or was she just imagining things, she wondered? Hmm, better keep this on a higher plane than where his mind might be going. She didn't need to be sleeping with two men while she was here in Bon Temps. Or did she? Shame on me for even thinking such a thing, she chided herself.

They started walking again and her mind continued rolling through the gutter for a little while. Wouldn't it be fun to have two lovers? Bill and Sam. Oh, heavens, yes, delicious. The fairy part of her would do it with no compunctions. What if they were both her boyfriends but she saw them separately, she considered? No, this is ridiculous. A solitary lover would have to fill the bill. It was fun to think about for a few minutes, though. She laughed aloud at herself.

"What?" Sam asked. "Share the joke." He gasped, "Were you reading my mind?".

"I appreciate that you can ask that question with a smile," she said, "but no, I wasn't. I was just thinking some silly stuff and I made myself laugh. It's not about you."

"Oh but it has to do with me, doesn't it?" he pressed, laughing. "It's okay, you can keep it private."

Oh Lord, he's a fine man, so confident and comfortable with himself, she thought, so very tempting it was to just reach out her hand for his and pull him to her. She could put her arms around his waist and he would put his arms around her in return. She knew he would, she could see it in his eyes, in his smile. She could feel the warm loving sexuality coming from him in waves. He would hold her close and she would raise her face to him, parting her lips ever so slightly. He would kiss her gently, tenderly at first, then more passionately as their breathing quickened and their embrace turned to heated caresses.  
Ach, I've got to get away from this man right now or I'm going to put myself in a compromising situation and that wouldn't be good, she scolded herself.

She'd heard that pure shape shifters were exceedingly alluring and could easily seduce unassuming human women. He fit that description perfectly.

"Oh, I've got to get back, this heat is an energy drain for an unacclimated Seattleite. I think I'm in dire need of a siesta," she said.

"When did you arrive here in Bon Temps?" he asked.

"Last night," she said.

"Where are you going to be staying?" he asked.

"I'm not sure yet, I'll be looking for a rental house or even a commercial property. For my personal needs, things can be rustic, I don't need a lot of creature comforts for such a short stay. I just need to be able to set up my lab, and that requires sinks, drains, and hopefully I can even set up a hood with an industrial vent."

"Ok, well let me know if I can help you out with anything," Sam offered.

"You are so very nice, Sam, thank you," she replied as they trudged through the marshy woods back to Bill's house.

"Ah, here we are again in Bill's backyard, that was a short walk. I see that group of plants is fairly close to Bill's place, I hope he doesn't mind if I pick them," Elliot thought aloud.

"I'm sure he won't mind, and he's got a lot more of them on his property and Sookie has them on her property, too.

"Would you like to come in for some ice tea?" she inquired.

"I'll take a raincheck," he answered, "I've got to be getting back to Merlotte's. You coming in for brunch tomorrow morning?"

"I don't think so," she said. "I've got to get busy on finding a location and getting started. Any idea on when Sookie will be back?"

"Well, she said it's probably going to be a few more days, which in Sookie's world means three or four days, but in Eric's world, God only knows," he frowned.

"What do you think of him in Sookie's life?" she asked.

"I don't like it. I don't think much of vampires in general, Bill's an exception but he and I had a lot of issues to work out before we could be friends. But Eric, now he's in a vampire class occupied by very few. He's over a thousand years old. He's big, well over six feet and muscular, and he's the sheriff of Area 5, which is a vampire governance region in Louisiana."

"Yes, I'd heard that they're organized almost like old world royalty, with kings and queens and fiefdoms and the like. It must be hard for the vampires who are lower on the totem pole," she said.

"Yeah. Anyway, you know, it's Sookie's life, I don't want to interfere, but I hate to see her in so much danger. And I'd like to think that she's in control of herself instead of her feelings being run by this blood bond thing."

"Blood bond thing?" Elliot raised her eyebrows, her eyes widening in fear. This didn't sound good.

"Yeah, that's where if the vampire drinks your blood on three occasions and you drink his blood on three occasions, then you're bonded and the bond lasts forever," he replied.

"What? Who's she blood-bonded to? What's the effect of it?" she asked, incredulous.

"She's blood-bonded to Eric. It means she and that person have a level of closeness she doesn't have with others, nor does the vampire. They can pretty much read each other's thoughts, each other's feelings, and they feel good and happy when they're together and it's because of the blood bond. It's possible there may be some level of influence from the bond, too." He looked at Elliot and shook his head. "I feel guilty, like I should've done more for Sookie. I should've found a way to stop her. Now what's gonna happen to her?" He looked down.

"Don't blame yourself," Elliot said. "I'll see you soon. And don't worry about Sookie, we'll help her through this," she reassured him.

"Thanks, see you soon," he walked around the side of the house to get into his truck.  
She went into the house and started a tepid bath running. She added some healing herbs and a fair amount of lavender. She then went to the fridge and pulled out a Coke and an ice tea and took both to the bathroom, where she undressed and hopped into the tub.

God, she was so tired and the emotions she'd taken in from Sam when he was feeling guilty were going to take some sorting out. She'd have to meditate quietly, perhaps she'd even have to chant a little. She'd helped a troubled shifter before and his emotions had been difficult to release, too. Perhaps it was the complexity of the shifter experience. They seemed to feel things more deeply and more broadly. Their life experiences were extraordinary and they usually had a level of wisdom only found in very old souls. Perhaps it was because they lived two uniquely different but parallel lives, alternating back and forth between the two.

She relaxed herself and laid back in the tub, taking long, slow, deep breaths. Closing her eyes, she began the ancient Gaelic chant needed to take her to the place inside herself where she could arrange the emotions and set them up for easy release. This was sometimes a time-consuming process, but it had to be done. It must be about three o'clock now. She should be done before Bill got up and started walking around the house.

She chanted and meditated, soaking in the tub for about a half-hour, letting the herbs soak into her skin, and replenishing her liquids with the soda pop and tea. After finishing up in the bathroom, she took one of the special herb capsules for reducing her fairy scent. It would have been better if she'd taken it in the morning, but she'd forgotten. Better late than never.

The house was very warm, probably in the low 90's she guessed. She turned on every fan she could find and carried one up to her bedroom. She planned to take a nap before Bill woke up.

She laid on top of the bed in her panties with the fan blowing directly on her. In less than a minute after her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.


	8. Chapter 8

Bill opened the hall door from his resting place and stepped out into a quiet house. Where was Elliot, he wondered? Well, regardless of where she was, he'd need to take a shower and groom himself for whatever the evening's events would be.

He turned on the shower water, undressed and stepped in. After soaping and shampooing, he shaved his face, as was his daily habit. His beard stubble always regrew in a few short hours, but he'd be fairly smooth-faced for at least an hour. Perhaps there would be cause for Elliot to appreciate that he'd shaved. He considered that he probably should have some TruBlood before being in her presence, it would help him be in better control of himself, that is if his waking hunger ever hit him. So far, he noticed as he was putting on clean clothes, he still wasn't hungry.

He went to the kitchen, still no Elliot in sight, and got a TruBlood from the fridge and placed it in the microwave to warm up. While it was heating he went to the window and looked out at the driveway, yes, her truck and his car were there, so she hadn't actually left.

After pulling his TruBlood from the microwave, he decided to check upstairs and see if Elliot was in the house somewhere. Maybe she was outside wandering around in the dark, for all he knew. He started up the stairs and as soon as he did, he heard her breathing coming from her bedroom.

Her door was open, and he stood in the doorway, gazing at her sleeping form on the bed. God, she was exquisite, he thought. Maybe he'd just sit in the bedroom and look at her while she slept. He made himself comfortable in the rocking chair in the corner and took a sip from his blood. No good, he wasn't hungry and set it aside.

He wondered if he should feel guilty looking at her nearly nude body without her permission. Yes, he felt guilty, he decided, but that didn't stop him. He looked at her for more than an hour, then decided to wake her. He crept quietly to the door, stood outside it and knocked, as if to create the impression he hadn't been sitting in the room for the last hour staring at her.

He spoke, "Elliot."

"Mmm?" she murmured.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Well I wasn't until I heard your voice," she said.

"Do you mean that?" he asked, incredulous and grinning.

"Yes, I do. Will you take off your clothes and come in here?" she asked, looking at him from her prone position on the bed.

"It would be my pleasure," he replied. He was undressed and across the room to her in a vampire second.

He laid down next to her and took her into his arms. "I was dreaming of you," she said softly. "We were making love and then some other things happened. It doesn't matter about the other things, just the first part," she purred.

"You smell really good," he nuzzled her neck, shoulders, tasted her breasts.

"You too. Did you just take a shower?" she asked.

"Mmhmm," he murmured as he began caressing his hands up and down her back and hips. He kissed her lips, tenderly at first, then more insistently. She responded in kind, running her hands over his body, between his legs, loving him with her fingertips, her mouth, her tongue.

"I want to pleasure you like you did me last night." She started at his neck, kissing, suckling and circling her focus with her hands, her fingers, her fingernails. His response guided her as she sought out his secret spots of pleasure and excitement. "Tell me what you want," she coaxed.

"Oh," he moaned, "like that, yes, oh, yes, harder."

He was easy to please, and his pleasure excited her. She pushed him onto his back and lowered herself onto his hard shaft. She stroked and rode him as his hips bucked under her and his hands caressed her breasts feverishly, rubbing her nipples with just the right amount of pressure to heighten her pleasure. She tried not to come but soon it was upon her and she screamed and moaned, her body spasmed and curved down to his.

Even though his arousal was intense and he craved completion, he changed their position by rolling her onto her back, his member never leaving her as he continued to stroke and tease her. Quickly she came again, her belly muscles twitching as her orgasm seemed to come from a place deep within her being.

"Give it to me, I want all of you," she begged him.

He obliged and filled her with his heat and passion. He came hard, harder than he'd come in a long time and he felt like his whole body, his whole soul was pouring into the very heart of her. It wasn't until afterward that he noticed his fangs hadn't run out the whole time nor had he felt the urge to bite her. Hmm, he pondered, perhaps his fairy blood meal last night was the cause?

They held each other tightly as they glided gently to earth and reality.

After a few minutes, she looked at him and said, "I'm hungry."

He laughed, "You're always hungry. For once I'm not hungry, I suspect your rich blood from last night is the cause. I hope I didn't take too much from you."

"You didn't take too much from me. I felt fine today. You could even have a little sip later tonight if you want." She looked at him lovingly. He couldn't help but notice she didn't seem to resent the gift of her blood. To him it was the gift of life and he was deeply grateful for it. Too bad he wasn't hungry, hopefully he would be later.

"Tonight, no cheeseburger for me," she said, "I had a cheeseburger for lunch and for someone who doesn't eat meat, that was my quota for the week."

"Well, the next time you need meat, I've got something for you right here," Bill said, grabbing his crotch and jiggling it towards her.

"Bill, you shock me." Elliot's jaw dropped.

"Oh no," Bill gasped, "I thought that was something the women of this new millenium like to hear. Was it not? I've been trying to modernize my language by watching some of the current movies that feature younger actors. I apologize." He shook his head and took her hands, holding them to his chest.

"Oh, Bill, you are so sweet. I think your language is modern enough, especially for me." She touched his face with her hand and he placed his forehead against hers. The tender moment was interrupted when her stomach gave a loud and long growl.

"Uh oh, the stomach with a mind of its own is telling you, 'feed me'," she said.

"Ok, let's hop in the shower and hit the road," he said. "Hop on my back and I'll take you downstairs in vampire speed."

"Oh goody, I'm ready," she squealed as she jumped on his back, wrapping her arms and legs around him.

"Hold on real tight," he said as he grabbed her left leg and her right arm and held them to his front. "Let's go!"

She screamed a loud "wha-a-a-a" as he flew down the stairs, hitting only two steps, zooming around the corners and into the bathroom.

"Mr. Taxi Man, how much do I owe you?" she smiled.

"Hmm, I'll have to think about that," he answered mysteriously.

They showered together, soaping each other's bodies. Again, just like last night, they moved together and around each other without words.

She slipped into a pair of navy linen slacks and a snug white short-sleeved t-shirt. Tan leather sandals, mascara, light red lipstick, and a gold clip in her long thick curls completed her look. She spritzed her wrists with a sumptuous perfume she'd made herself from southwestern cactus and flower extracts. She had a patent pending on the formula, but while it was in process, no reason not to wear it, she told herself.

"Mmm, you smell good enough to eat," he laughed.

"I guess that'll have to be a running joke between us," she looked at him sideways.

"You know, related to that subject, when you came here last night, your fairy scent wasn't very well masked. You smelled so good, and particularly inside the car, I felt almost crazy sitting next to you. I think you should limit your exposure to younger vampires when you're tired or running low on your masking herbs---which I presume you've taken today since I don't smell fairy scent from you tonight."

"Okay, yeah, I'll watch that, thanks. I realized when I got up this morning and reached for my herb capsules that I hadn't taken them in the last couple days before coming here, so what you got last night was me full-on."

"Well, I liked it very much. But I wouldn't want any other vampires smelling that." He looked at her seriously.

She nodded at him, straight-faced, he was trying to warn her without scaring her and it was 'message-received' on her end. "Thanks, Bill. By the way, you look nice tonight. Are we ready to go? I'm ready."

"Yes, we're ready, and you look beautiful."

He took her hand and led her to the car. "It's a beautiful night," he remarked, "maybe we could look at the stars for awhile when we come back. There aren't any clouds to get in our way tonight."

"That would be fun," she declared.

As they were driving to Merlotte's, she gasped when she saw two large timber wolves cross the road in front of the car. "Oh my, gosh, are those what I think they are?"

"Weres, yes, disgusting. Sorry. I'm working on my prejudice against Weres. I've had a lot of bad run-in's with them over the years and I find them to be….. well, I'm working on it," he stopped himself short.

"I've never actually seen one before, well, obviously now I have. Aren't they afraid of being shot in an area like this? That's so bold of them to be out crossing roads in front of cars. Where I live back home, which is a forested area, supposedly there are both Weres and wolves there, but I've never seen any of either in the few years I've lived there. I've heard 'em though, howling late at night," she said.

They pulled into Merlotte's and he escorted her from the car and inside. Sam was behind the bar and when he saw Elliot he brightened and waved. He nodded to Bill, who nodded in return.

They went to a booth, she slid in on one side and Bill slid into the same side, staking his claim in a way that humans understood.

Sam approached them, shaking his head. "Bill Compton, if you weren't already dead, I'd have to kill you. You beat me to the punch again."

"Sorry, my friend, but I saw her first," Bill smiled.

"If you get sick of him, you know where to find me," Sam said, looking at Elliot.

"Well, until I get sick of him," she turned to Bill, teasing him, then back to Sam, "we are still friends I hope," she said.

"Of course," Sam smiled and took her hand, raising it to his lips and holding it there, kissing it slowly and tenderly.

"Good enough, buddy, break away. I gotta watch you like a hawk." Bill laughed and Sam joined him.

After Sam excused himself, the waitress came up and took their order.

"Elliot," Bill said. "How long do you expect to be here in Bon Temps?"

"Probably just under six weeks," she replied. "I have to be back home in less than two months to finish work on the compounds I procure here and then start testing."

"What will you be testing?" he asked.

"I think I should tell you in private," she said quietly.

Bill nodded, his face serious, his eyes looking into hers.

"I want you to stay with me while you're here. We can find someplace to set up your lab but I want you with me."

She looked at him and thought for a moment, then nodded. "I'd like to stay with you. I accept your offer." She smiled and so did he.

"I'm pleased." He took her hands and lifted them to his lips briefly.

The waitress brought her food and his TruBlood.

She plowed into her baked potato and vegetables with gusto. "Mmm, good."

He knew he would miss her when she left, but he was determined to enjoy his time with her while he had it. Living a long life as a vampire had taught him many things, the same things he'd learned as a human only on a deeper level.

One thing he'd learned is that when you meet someone you really like and enjoy, you should hang onto it, even if it doesn't fit in with your "perfect relationship" criteria because really enjoyable relationships were a reward unto themselves. And love, well, if love came to visit, it was always going to be welcome in Bill's heart. Besides, who knew where the future would lead?

By his estimation, it looked like Sookie wasn't ever coming back to him, especially now that she and Eric were blood-bonded. He'd be a fool not to move on with his life and a bigger fool to push Elliot away on a vain hope that Sookie would return to him. That was pie-in-the-sky. Plus, this woman was smart, good-looking, fun, and sexy.

"Would you like some dessert?" he asked her.

"Oh yes, that would be lovely," she replied.

"Well, I was thinking we could stop at the store and pick up some of that premium ice cream, I think they call it Haagen Daz, and I could feed you some under the stars."

"Oh Bill, that sounds wonderful, I'm done here. I've eaten all my veggies and most of my potato."

"As long as you've eaten your vegetables, you definitely qualify for dessert," he winked and she cocked her chin down with a grin of her own.

He left money on the table for the bill and tip and they waved to Sam on their way out. "Oh, Bill, phone me tomorrow or tonight before you go to bed. Okay?" Sam hollered from behind the bar.

When Bill and Elliot got back to his place, he grabbed a spoon, the ice cream, and Elliot's hand and led her into one of the spare bedrooms and up a short spiral staircase in the corner of the room which led to a trap-door which then led up onto a flattened area on the roof, something like a widow's walk. In the center of the area, there were two wooden rocking chairs. He moved them to be side-by-side, and placed the ice cream and spoon on the little table next to one of the chairs and guided Elliot to the other chair.

He slowly opened the ice cream and peeled off the plastic liner. She wanted a bite really bad, her eyes and swallowing gave her away. Carefully he picked up the antique silver heirloom spoon and scooped out a large bite. He ferried it to her open mouth. Placing the ice cream into her mouth, he said, "You're like a little bird, waiting for the momma to feed her."

"This is a lot better than worms, though," she spoke through a mouth full of delicious creamy ice cream. "Mmm."

He fed her quietly for several minutes until she said, "I think I'm full."

"Will you tell me now?" he asked, setting down the ice cream and spoon.

"Yes. I hope you can handle all of this, Bill." She worried.

"Don't cut me short, Elliot, I've been around for awhile and not too much surprises me," he said.

"I think this is going to be surprising for you, though." She looked up at the sky for a moment before looking back at him.

"You're killin' me here, Elliot, out with it," he chided gently.

"I've put together a medical treatment that appears to alleviate vampirism," she said.

He snorted loudly in obvious disbelief, but she ignored it and continued, "I can't be sure it's permanent, though, because I've not been able to take it to the last phase. I've been missing a chemical binding factor that makes the treatment permanent. A while ago I put together a theoretical molecular model of what I need to administer in the final phase of treatment, but I didn't know if it existed anywhere in nature and I couldn't seem to create it artificially in the lab."

"You following me on this?" she looked at him.

"Go on," he nodded, smirking.

She ignored his skepticism and continued, "Then soon afterward, using a software program created specifically for search needs like this, I found that the necessary compound for the last phase of treatment does occur in Nature, in the plant I came here to get and extract from."

"Elliot, your treatment to cure vampirism, it won't work, I'm sorry, Sweetheart, it just won't. There's nothing that can undo this curse." He looked at her with sympathy and shook his head.

"Bill, yes, it will work," she persisted.

"No, Honey, it won't. It will not work. I'm sorry," he maintained.

"It will work, Bill," she pushed, irritation started to kick in. How dare he question her?  
Apparently he didn't know who he was talking to here.

"Listen to me, Elliot, I mean it," his voice rising in volume, "it won't work. Why don't you understand this? And do me a favor, don't bring false hope to my doorstep, because I don't need it." He was angry. He grabbed her shoulders, pulling her up from her chair as he stood in front of her now. His voice was loud and deliberate, "Listen to me, there's nothing that can be done."

"Bill, it does work. I've seen it work. I've used it on four vampires. I need the final compound to make the treatment permanent."

He looked at her face, still holding her by the shoulders. "Do you have these substances with you?"

She nodded.

"Elliot, then show me now, because I have a lot of vulnerability in this area. I have mostly despised my vampire existence and the dream of becoming a human again has driven me nearly mad on several occasions. I would like to see it and try it. I don't care if it kills me."

"Well I care if it kills you, Bill, and I'll tell you something. Before I met you, I heard about you and your mainstreaming leadership, and I had planned to talk to you about this treatment and see if you wanted to take part in the testing. But then I met you and I can honestly tell you, I've got feelings for you and I can't bear to risk you. I'm afraid to treat you now. If something went slightly wrong, like say, you were uncomfortable or in pain, I might overreact and do something that would either harm you or needlessly render the treatment inert."

"Elliot, I hate to put it this way, but I have to. You don't know me fully, and we've only been in each other's lives for two days, and if you care for me at all, even the smallest amount, you'll treat me. I'm asking you this. Do this for me." She stared into his eyes hard and long.

She placed her hands on each side of his head, and sighed heavily, "Bill, it's risky. Even though it worked on the only four vampires I've used it on, I can't fully speak to the risk for you. You've been a vampire longer than they have. I don't think that will be insurmountable, but I can't make guarantees here. I don't want to break your heart if we try and fail. Do you understand this? It also may kill you. That's a risk too."

"I want it. Now."

"Okay. We'll do it."

He hugged her, smiled and sat back down in his chair. She did the same.

She let him sit with it, saying nothing for awhile.

"The sky is beautiful tonight, so many stars, they look like diamonds," she remarked, looking at him.

"Why yes, they are beautiful indeed," he replied. But she noticed, he wasn't looking up but forward into space, unfocused. He was lost in thought. She took his hand and held it.

They rocked their chairs quietly for several more minutes.

After awhile he turned to her and asked, "What is the treatment like?"

"It's done in phases and remember, it is experimental."

He nodded, "I understand."

"The first phase involves ingesting a medication which allows the vampire to tolerate sunlight. I created it by taking some pre-existing formulas created for humans with light sensitivities and modified them for vampires. I also added some other things, as well, including something to reset the circadian rhythms and to stimulate some of the other body systems. The medication is dissolved in blood or synthetic blood, such as TruBlood, then taken by mouth. It starts working immediately, but full effects take up to two hours. The vampire may need to wear eye protection for a few days to allow the eyes to adjust to sunlight again. High-strength sunblock and sun-blocking clothing should be used for several days or weeks to slowly build up melanin in the skin, so as not to get a sunburn. The vampire will sweat and experience heating and overheating sensations which are considered to be normal. Liquid needs are increased and extra fluids in the form of blood and purified water should be consumed. Thirst will be experienced. The need to urinate may be present. Tears will be clear rather than blood-tinged. That's basically it for the first phase, which I believe is the most important phase.

"The second phase involves ingesting a packet of medications which allow the vampire to begin consuming very small amounts of food, up to a cup of solids per day.

"The third phase involves a medication which must be followed about one hour later with administration of electrical shock via external paddles to start the heart actively and rhymically beating again. If the heart cannot be pushed in this method to come up to normal beat rates, the possibility of final death is a consideration. This is because of the medication given one hour before the electrical shocks are delivered plus some other factors.

"The fourth phase involves a stronger version of the second phase medications. The vampire is considered at this point to be a functioning human again but in a somewhat sensitive state. Foods and beverages are eaten per need and desire, all bodily functions come online in full force. The vampire fangs can no longer be extended and begin dissolution. In fact, one of the four vampires I've used this protocol on experienced loss of fangs after the second phase.

"The fifth phase involves administration of the final medication, derived from the plant I'm here to get."

Bill stared at her with obvious excitement, his face alight with hope and desire. "What does the fifth phase do?"

"It should make the transformation permanent. One thing to keep in mind is this. Vampirism is a physical capability that virtually all humans have, so it's not an illness per se. It's more like a rendition of the human body, like a version of humanness where several systems are shut down.

"I call it a treatment mostly for lack of a better explanation, but it's important to me that you understand, as a vampire, you aren't ill, you've simply been rendered to being a vampire. And being a vampire is a very strong physical state of being.

"For these reasons, I decided to take tissue simples of the four vampires I treated to see if the tissues would attempt to revert to being vampire tissues. Of the five samples--I took two from one of the vampires, three of the samples reverted to being vampire tissues, one didn't revert, and one partially reverted.

"The fifth phase of treatment alters the DNA to resist vampirism, in effect, removing that ability to turn into a vampire. And, as I mentioned before, the fifth phase involves the compound I need to extract from the plants here, in your very woods as a matter of fact."

Bill nodded. It was a lot to take in. "So let's say someone had the fifth phase treatment, and then they were attacked by a vampire who intended to turn them into a vampire all over again," he asked, "what would happen to the human in that instance?"

"I assume the human would die, if their blood loss was sufficient." Elliot intoned without emotion.

Bill shook his head. "Well, I can honestly tell you without taking any time to think it over, I'd rather die than become a vampire again. Being a vampire is to fly in the face of every good and important human value. It's mental torture, I assure you, to continuously override your own personal morals and beliefs because your urges are driving you insane and seem to have a mind all their own. I would like to start my treatment tonight, if that's alright with you," he said.

"Okay," she replied, "let's see, it's eleven o'clock, now. It'll take about an hour to set up and get the medication into you. So, by dawn, you'll possibly be able to tolerate sunlight. We have to proceed carefully though. I'll explain while we're setting up. This should work but we have to take precautions, just the same," she took his hand and stood up. "Let's go."


	9. Chapter 9

"Here, you take this," Elliot handed Bill a large, heavy, folded tarp.

"I'll take this," she juggled a big plastic box full of chemical-filled vials and various implements, trying to think of what else she might need to set up Bill's first treatment. She shook her head and looked around the shelves inside the trailer one last time. "Yep, I think this is all I need for now."

She locked up boxes inside of cabinets which, in turn, needed locking too. She then stored three small boxes in a safe, closing the door and pulling the bolt handle. After satisfying herself that everything was secure, she snapped off the light, stepped out of the trailer, and Bill closed and locked the heavy metal doors.

"I'm giving you an official title," Bill looked at Elliot as they went back inside the house. "Your new name is Elliot, Queen of the Locks." She chuckled softly.

Unloading a lab book from her box, she sat at the table and begin shuffling through the pages. "A-ha, yes, this is it. I need a few minutes of quiet to review my process. Sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but I have to be completely focused because absolute precision on my part is required. So, I'll review my process , then I'll review it again and then I'll measure out my compounds and prepare the vector solution. Then we'll administer the treatment to you.

"Before we start, I need to ask you some questions. Do you fully understand and agree that by ingesting these medications and undergoing the protocol, you will likely be permanently transformed back to being a human mortal being?"

"I do," he replied solemnly.

"And do you understand that this is an experimental treatment not licensed by the FDA?"

He nodded, "I do."

"And do you understand that you could die or be permanently harmed by this treatment?" she asked.

"I do. May I kiss the bride now?" he joked.

"God, Bill," she frowned at him, "that brings me to my final question. Do you understand that at some point in the treatment program, you will lose all of your vampire abilities and vampire physical qualities, including your fangs? This includes your vampiric sexual staying power. Do you understand this?"

The smile dropped from his face. "Oh, well, that changes everything." He smiled broadly and said, "I'm just kidding, Elliot. Why so serious?"

"Bill, you're scaring me now. Since when did you become so full of jokes? Are you taking this seriously?"

"Absolutely I am. Elliot, I'm just happy, very happy. Thank you for this." He leaned towards her and kissed her lightly on the lips.

She smiled begrudgingly. "Okay, then. Alright. Sorry. I'm just not used to this side of you. I guess I don't fully know you anyway, so how could I say you're behaving out of character? So, back to my questions. You understand the changes you're going to experience? I also can't guarantee you won't feel any pain. You might."

"Elliot, I do, I get it. Let's move forward with it," he nodded and smiled at her reassuringly.

"Okay. Now, I need a few minutes to myself for review and inventory of my chemicals and tools. Don't drink any TruBlood or any type of blood between now and when we start. Where will you be when I'm done and ready for you?" she asked, looking up from her lab book. "Oh, one more thing. I would really like to have a third person here who can help us if we need it. How about Sam? Do you know him and trust him well enough?"

"Yes, I do. I'll call him. When should I have him come over?" He pulled a wireless phone out of his pocket.

"How about as soon as he can? After he gets here, we'll administer one to two phases of medications to you which will take us until about two or three a.m. Then we can all just hang out and possibly snooze until Sunrise. I'll need him to stay until Noon tomorrow at the very least, if he can."

"I'll ask him." Bill walked out to the porch, dialing his phone.

"Oh, and Bill," Elliot hollered out to him, "Don't tell him the specifics. Just tell him we need his help with something and could he please come spend the night."

"Okay, I'll tell him," Bill yelled back.

Elliot turned to her lab book and began reading aloud to herself, touching the labels of the jars and the tools as she thumbed through the pages. After 15 minutes of going through everything backwards and forwards, she put on rubber gloves, tore off the paper from a large white sterile cloth, and laid it out over Bill's large dining room table. She followed this by laying out the jars of compounds and tools in the order she would need them. Once this was done, she draped another sterile cloth over the entire array.

"Bill," she called out.

"Yes," he came in from the porch.

"Is Sam gonna be able to help us?" she asked.

"Yes. He said he'd be here with bells on. I wonder what that means," he furrowed his brow.

"Hmmph, I don't know either, I've never heard that expression. Oh well. Let's have you sit over here in the living room, I need to put my stethoscope to your chest and your abdomen. Would you mind stripping down to your undershorts?"

"No problem, where do you want me? Shall I just sit on this? By the way, I don't have a heartbeat." He slipped out of his clothes, pulled the stool up next to the coffee table, and sat down on it.

"Right, I know that, not a heartbeat per se. But, unbeknownst to many , the vampiric heart does appear to be the cause of the movement of blood through the body, it's just different than a human beating heart. When I listen to your heart, I should hear a soft whispery-like sound." She sat on the coffee table and slid next to Bill, placing the earpieces in her ears and the chestpiece against his chest.

He looked at her as she focused on his body so intently. If everything worked out right with his transformation, maybe she would be genuinely interested in being with him. He found himself hoping this much more than he felt was wise. He brushed her hair from her face and tucked it behind one of her ears. Reaching her hands up to his neck, she felt the glands under his jaw and in his neck, then down along his collarbone. After making some more notes in her lab book, she asked him to lie down on the coffee table.

She felt his abdomen and then felt up under his arms. "Tickles," he whispered, smiling. Suddenly, she felt her fear of losing him well up and overflow inside her. She hadn't meant to care for him like this, but she did. Lest he see her cry, she needed to dam up the waters, and fast. Grabbing him behind the neck, she pulled him quickly to a sitting position, wrapped her arms tightly around him and kissed him roughly, squeezing him tightly with her arms.

"You can examine me anytime if it's going to get me a kiss like that," he remarked, trying to lighten the moment a little. He'd sensed the emotions building in her and he wanted to help her keep her feelings under control because if she lost her grip, he might lose his, too.

"Sam's here," he remarked, still holding her, turning his head to the side and resting a cheek against her shoulder.

Soon there was a knock on the door. "Come in," Bill raised his head and hollered.

"How do you know it's him?" she asked.

"I recognize the sound of his vehicle plus with him on the porch, I can smell him. He smells pretty fresh, too, like he just took a shower or something," Bill said matter-of-factly. "Hey, Sam, thanks for coming over. Come on in."

Sam entered the living room slowly, setting his duffle bag behind the couch. He blushed and stammered, "I see you two have already gotten started. I gotta tell you, I've never done anything like this before, but I thought it might be fun, and hey, why not. You only live once, right? Bill, thank you for this, I mean, Elliot is so nice and I like you, too, although, I don't know so much about how far I can go with, you know, things. I've never felt inclined in that direction, you know, but I've got an open mind. As long as whatever we do, Elliot's in between us, I think it'll be great. Try anything once, right?" He laughed nervously and looked at his hands.

Bill's face took on a puzzled expression. He looked back and forth between Sam and Elliot, hoping for one of them to explain what in the world Sam was talking about. Had Elliot already told Sam about this treatment?

Elliot felt powerful waves of sexual desire cascading off of Sam in her direction. She decided to ignore it and press forward in a professional manner. "Sam, thanks so much for coming. Tonight is a very important night in Bill's life, and we need someone to help us with some of the particulars. I'm not sure what Bill told you. Do you have any idea why we asked you here tonight?" Her eyes narrowed slightly.

Sam looked slowly from Elliot's serious face to the stethoscope and back to her face again. "Uh, I thought I knew, but now I'm wondering if I misunderstood. Oh, God. I'm embarrassed. I thought," he broke off and started laughing. "Now, Bill, don't be mad, but, from what you said, I thought you guys wanted a threesome with me."

"A threesome? A menage a trois? Oh," Bill laughed, then his smile faded as he looked at Elliot with growing lust.

"Can it, boys," she admonished, frowning at Bill in particular.

"Oh, Elliot, I'm sorry, it was just a momentary flash. I instantly smacked the thought down," Bill tried unsuccessfully to put on a frown.

"Ok, alright then," she turned to Sam. "As you know, I'm a chemist, but what you don't know, is that I've created a medical protocol for treating vampirism. It's a five-phased treatment, involving administration of several experimental pharmaceuticals. I've successfully treated four vampires with the medications and they are all living as humans again. The only drawback is that the treatment may not be permanent until the fifth phase of medications are administered. The active compound used in the fifth phase is derived from the plant we saw in the woods earlier today. Do you follow me so far?"

Sam's face took on an expression or horror and apprehension as he looked back and forth between Bill's and Elliot's faces. "Elliot, no offense to you, but Bill, this sounds like a helluva risk. What if you die?"

"Sam, in case you hadn't noticed, life as a vampire isn't anything to write home about. If I die, then so be it. I don't have a death wish, but I don't want to live like this if I've got a chance of being a human again. This is my chance, Sam. This is it."

"Sam," Elliot spoke, "I need you to help me while we set up and give Bill the first phase of his treatment. It won't be anything difficult or upsetting, at least until dawn."

Sam's jaw dropped as he turned to Bill. "Oh, God, Bill, please tell me you're not gonna go out in the Sun again. Aw no, no," Sam shook his head. "Elliot, stop, this is crazy."

"Sam, slow down. There's a lot more to it than you might be thinking. First, Bill's initial medication is going to allow him to tolerate sunlight. Then about an hour later, we'll give him another medication to help his body reset his internal Circadian rhythms so that he can stay awake during the day and sleep at night. Then about an hour after that, I'll see how he's doing and if he's still feeling fine, I'll give him a very small amount of his first phase 2 medication.

"Then, we wait until just before dawn," Elliot explained.

"Then what?" Bill asked.

She looked at Bill. "Then we wrap you up very securely in the light-tight tarpaulin I had you carry in from the trailer. And when the sun is up, we expose you very slowly, ever so slowly, to the light. We start with just a fingertip, then the finger, then a hand, and so on. Your face is the last part of you we'll expose. Oh, and we probably should get some sunglasses for you, too. I don't suppose you have any, do you?"

"I do," Sam added, "I'll get 'em outta my truck. Be right back."

"Are you gonna be okay with this, Sam?" Bill looked at Sam hard. "You can bow out if you want and I won't hold it against you."

"Well, I don't know that I'm okay with it, because you're my friend and I've come to like havin' you around. But I understand what you're wanting to have happen and I can relate. Myself being a shifter, it causes me problems in my life with humans, and if I could trade my shifting abilities for just being a regular human, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Plus, if anything goes wrong, I'd like to be here to help you. Hopefully, I won't have to," he stopped himself from saying the rest of what he was thinking and nodded, "I'll be here for you, Buddy."

"Thanks," Bill replied.

"Everything's gonna be fine, Bill," Elliot looked at Bill and gave him a one-armed hug.

"I know it will. I know," Bill answered.

"Are you feeling a little hungry?"

"Yes, I could feed."

"Good. Because we're going to put the medication into a vial of my blood, and you'll drink it from the vial. Sound okay?"

"Oh, yes, very okay." He smiled as his fangs ran out.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Eric held open the bedroom room door for Sookie and closed it behind them. He scooped her up in his arms and ravaged her face and neck with kisses. "Sookie, my darling, I was so proud of you tonight up there in front of the magister, speaking in your beautiful clear voice. Every eye was on you. They all wanted you."

"Eric, you flatter me, but not everyone sees me the way you do," Sookie countered.

"Sookie, I speak the truth. Why do you accuse me of falsehoods? Come here. I'll tell you a secret." He sat on the edge of the bed and motioned her to his lap.

"A secret, huh?" Sookie raised her eyebrows as she cuddled into his arms.

"Yes," Eric grinned into Sookie's ear. "It's funny. You'll like it. I liked it."

"Ok, what is this secret?" Sookie inquired.

"The magister had a fanger for you, Sookie," Eric snickered.

"Eric, please. That's dirty-minded. Frankly, I didn't notice," Sookie stood up and walked to her dresser.

"Well his boyfriend sure noticed. Didn't you see him glaring at you?" Eric asked, incredulous.

"If you really must know," Sookie turned to him, "whenever I look out at a crowd of vampires with their fangs extended, all I see are I-wanna-have-sex-with-you fangs or I-wanna-drink-you-up fangs. And most of the time, I can't tell the difference between those two vampire expressions. So, no, I didn't notice anything unusual from the magister's boyfriend. Could we change the subject please?"

"As you wish, my lover. Let's talk about how we might amuse ourselves on the flight home later." Eric gave Sookie a sexy head-to-to look of longing. He turned to the dresser and removed his cufflinks and his belt, which he placed in a small leather case and slipped inside his suitcase. They'd be leaving Felipe's private residence tonight for Shreveport and he needed to pack. He slipped out of his dress shirt, balled it up and threw it basketball-style across the room and smack dab into Sookie's open suitcase. He loved to tease Sookie by putting his clothes into her suitcase when she wasn't looking. Later when she was going through her suitcase, she'd find his clothes and her cute little brow would furrow as she wondered how their clothes had gotten mispacked. Even if he wasn't there when she did so, visualizing it gave him a little charge of mischievious fun.

He frowned when he noticed Sookie's mood. She was sitting on the edge of the bed quietly, staring at the floor. "What's wrong, min alskare?" he asked.

"I have a really bad feeling, Eric. I just can't shake it off. Something is wrong. I don't think that vampire did what they're accusing him of, I think he's been framed or something. I can't get it out of my head."

"Sookie, seven vampires testified to his actions and whereabouts and you testified to the thoughts and plans of his human. What is the problem?"

"Eric, I don't think he did it and I think something is underway to make sure he never makes it to his hearing tomorrow night. We've got to help him, Eric, we've got to do something," she noticed Eric's placid expression. "Please. Please, Honey." She stood in front of Eric, stepping up against him and placing her hands on his shoulders, pleading with her eyes.

He felt her firm round breasts pressing into his torso. The feeling of her sweet shapely body lit a fire in his loins. "Could we have sex first?" he whispered, kissing her hair.

"Eric," Sookie chided him but gave him an affirming squeeze on his backside.

Suddenly they were jolted by screams coming from downstairs. The sound of a loud scuffle immediately followed, and then after several seconds of silence, all hell seemed to break loose. Eric protectively pulled Sookie close to him, cupping her head against his chest with his large hand. He moved quickly to hide Sookie. "Here, can you fit into this cabinet?" he asked her. She could and after she tucked herself inside, he closed the cabinet door, shutting her into darkness.

Moving across the room in vampire speed, he pulled two large fighting knives out of the false bottom of his briefcase and with one in each hand, he stepped quietly out into the hallway. Several minutes passed and Sookie cringed as she heard the terrified thoughts of several humans, "Oh god, oh my god, all that blood! I've got to get out of here!" What were these people seeing? Whatever it was, it had to be bad, she concluded.

When she heard someone quitely enter the bedroom, her heart pounded in abject terror. Perhaps this was it, her moment of horror. She held her breath as fear coursed through her veins like ice water.

"Sookie," Eric called out, "it's me." He walked quickly to the cabinet and pulled open the door. Sookie flew into his arms, tears streaming down her face.

"Oh Eric," Sookie clutched at Eric, "what happened? Oh god, what happened?"

Eric was calm. "Looks like you may have been at least partially right, Sookie. The accused vampire is dead. He tried to escape and was killed in the process." Eric put his knives away and slipped out of his dress slacks and into jeans and a black cashmere sweater. Pulling on his handmade Italian shoes, he turned to Sookie, who was standing in the center of the room staring at him, her mouth agape. "What? We need to go, Sookie."

"Just like that? Someone is dead, and we just move on like nothing happened? It's not right." She was gasping from the horror of what had happened. Adrenaline still coursed through her veins.

"My lover, there's nothing we can do about it. And I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I personally feel no need to mourn. What do you propose we do? Shall we go downstairs and gather the remaining vampires in a circle, hold hands, and pray for his soul? I don't think anyone would be interested in such an activity. Come now, darling, let's pack and get ready to go. Please?"

Sookie looked at him for a long moment, then acquiesced. Eric was right, there was no more to be done. She felt chilled inside at the horrible turn the evening had taken. She didn't like testifying at these vampire trials. Why were they still meting out their own form of justice even though they were supposedly living mainstream lives now, she wondered.

"Eric, why are the vampires using their own court system and their own penal system? It seems like if they're asking to be mainstreamed, shouldn't they use the human systems, the State and Federal courts?" Sookie asked as she changed into jeans and a t-shirt and began packing.

"It's nothing you need concern yourself with, my little sweet," Eric replied.

She was nonplussed. "Eric, wrong. Anytime I am testifying in some kind of court, especially a vampire court, I have a right to know why. I also worry that when I testify, and then someone is punished for it, will my involvement get me into trouble in a human court? Because, well, I think it can, I really do."

"Sookie," Eric counseled, "our vampire doings are kept secret. No one will speak who has any knowledge of it. If they did, they would be punished severely for their treachery."

"Oh that makes me feel a lot better," Sookie's voice rose as she dug in. "Need I remind you I'm still subject to the laws of this land and it doesn't matter what you think about it, whether you think it's fair or not. For instance, let's say I testify against someone in a vampire court, and then they are sentenced to receive some vampire punishment that hurts or kills them. Maybe I could be considered an accessory to what happens to the vampire and with the vampire rights amendment being pushed, I could very easily be held responsible for contributing to what happens to that vampire."

"Sookie, don't be silly. You worry for nothing. I will never let anything happen to you," Eric replied firmly.

"Eric, you don't get it," Sookie jabbed a finger in Eric's direction. "You could be in a position where you can't help me. The cops could come and take me away during the day. Can you help me then?"

"Sookie, I would find you and get you out at night. Now stop with this nonsense." Eric stood facing Sookie with his hands on his hips.

"No, I won't stop. I don't like these tribunals and I won't testify at one ever again. This one really took the cake. The vampire was falsely accused—at least the way I see it, and he was being held and not by the laws of this land. He tried to escape and they killed him. I do not like it and I won't be a part of it ever again, Eric. Not ever." Sookie set her jaw and glared angrily at Eric.

"Sookie, if you are required to testify, you will do so without question. You are in my retinue and you are also my bonded. You will do it for me, if nothing else," Eric's blue eyes flashed fiercely.

"No, Eric," Sookie spoke very quietly now, "I absolutely will not."

"Sookie, this matter is not closed. You will not humiliate me by refusing to testify if you are needed." Eric calmly closed and locked his suitcase then looked at her, his face devoid of expression.

She stared at Eric in disbelief and disappointment. "Eric, do not speak to me for the rest of this night except to assist me to and from the airport and to my transportation home." Sookie forced a façade of steely resolve for Eric's benefit, but inside, she felt weak and frightened. She loved Eric and would do most anything for him, but this was an issue on which she wouldn't and couldn't compromise. She'd always been apprehensive about working for the vampires because she didn't want to be part of something which had the potential to bring harm to humans or vampires, whether they deserved it or not. She even put spiders outside rather than kill them.

The first few times she'd used her gift for the vampires, it was sort of fun. She'd been officially "traveling on business" with all expenses paid and for a small-town waitress who'd never been too far from home, it felt like entre into the glamourous corporate world. She'd even gotten new clothes out of the deal, and as for financial recompense, that had soon followed. The job had given her a feeling of importance, that she and her gift were finally of value to others. Instead of being ridiculed and misunderstood for being telepathic, as she'd been her whole life long, she was now sought after. She loved the feeling and it filled an empty spot inside her she hadn't known existed.

Unfortunately, that sense of feeling valued had recently become replaced by the knowledge that when the vampires needed her, there was no flexibility, and seemingly, no option of whether or not she even wanted to do the asssignment. It would be nice if she were more like a consultant and could say yes or no to the jobs they offered her. Instead, it felt like when they said jump, she had to reply, "how high".

And then, to complicate the subject of working for the vampires, there was Eric. If she hadn't been working for him, she wondered if they'd have even gotten together. They were boyfriend and girlfriend now and she liked it, very much, but she didn't want to be pressured to do things against her personal morals to keep him. In Sookie's mind, if their relationship wasn't simply about love, it wasn't worth having.

Tonight, so far from home, in the spare bedroom of a stranger, she felt suddenly and painfully alone. She wanted to reach out to Eric--who stood in front of the TV watching baseball, his back to her. But on this issue, they were at loggersheads and she dare not back down now. Would he reconsider and find a way to accommodate her needs?

Eric looked at the state of Sookie's suitcases out of the corner of his eye and figured she was packed, enough at least for his valet to come to their room and take their things to the car.

Sookie wanted the silent treatment from him? No problem, he decided. He could give her the silent treatment until she begged him to speak and still he wouldn't do so. She could crawl to him from Bon Temps to Shreveport on bloody hands and knees and he would bandage her wounds, but he still wouldn't speak to her.

Inwardly, he groaned at the outcome of this night's argument. This woman, she had gotten way too far under his skin and because of it, she had pushed his back against the wall.

He couldn't believe he'd let her so far inside his heart. It was definitely time to get a grip on himself and if she didn't want to go along with the program, then she could just plain go. How many times since he'd been a vampire had he learned this same exact lesson, over and over? Meet a woman, get involved, win her heart, give her some of your heart, and then the trouble starts. History repeated itself again and again, and not just for him but for every male vampire he knew. For a long time, he'd tried to analyze it, thinking he could figure out where things were going wrong and he could head trouble off at the pass. Unfortunately, nothing had ever worked to stave off the inevitable breakup.

No matter what he did, and regardless of the type of woman he chose or where they lived, in the end it seemed to always come down to the woman being disappointed or intolerant of his life as a vampire. Yes, at first they always said they loved him being a vampire, but when it came down to the details of it, well the devil was in those it seemed, and the unraveling always started there. "Your body is so cold, can't you do something about it?" or "Can't you just have dinner with me one time?" or "Why are you always feeding on blood? Can't you just try eating regular food?" and of course the ultimate deal breaker was "I'm sorry, I really love you, but I want to have children."

Perhaps he and Sookie were near the end of the line. If so, it's a shame, he thought, because she was the first woman he had truly loved since he'd become a vampire. It had taken him almost two years of being around her to realize that he couldn't fight it. He couldn't fight her. She literally owned him, heart and soul. And he had poured it all out for her, everything, all that he was. Perhaps it wasn't enough, he thought, as he raked his hands through his hair.

"If you're finished packing, I'll have our bags taken down to the car. Are you?" he asked without looking at her. Don't look at her, he decided, make her crave your attention. Even after a thousand years of women, it was still a guessing game as to how to handle them when they were angry, but this was a pretty good strategy. He had so many methods for dealing with women, lately he'd considered writing a guidebook for human men. Ignorant as they were with their limited experience, he figured he could sell the hell out of it.

"What do _you_ think, Eric, does it look like I'm done packing?" Sookie snapped.

He stifled a laugh—so much for that tactic. Sookie was so funny when she was angry. She didn't know it but she amused him, thrilled him, inspired him. He would be very sorry to see her go. He picked up the phone and called his valet to come pick up their bags.

He laid down on the bed and watched Sookie pull her hair into a twist and secure it with a clip. And then, unbidden and without warning, the horrible dreaded words spilled hoarsely from his lips as he accepted what he believed to be their fate, "Come lay with me one last time, Sookie."

She gasped and choked as tears sprang from her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. "How dare you throw me over because of a little problem," she said. She flew across the room and into his arms. They clung to each other fiercely, her body trembling against his. Tears of blood glittered in his eyes, and they kissed deeply, murmuring and crying, hands touching each other's faces.

"I love you so much, Sookie. I love you like I've never loved before. For the first time in my whole life as a vampire, I don't know what to do." He buried his face in her neck.

"I love you, too. We'll figure it out together. Okay?" she asked.

"Yes, we'll figure it out. We have to because I don't want to live this life without you."

"Me neither. And oh my God, it took me so long to find you," she murmured against his lips.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Elliot took Bill's hand and led him to a chair at his dining room table where she'd laid out her tools and chemicals. Sam tagged along behind and sat across from Bill.

Elliot gave Sam a serious look. "Sam, I'm gonna draw some blood from myself here in the next few minutes. Are you squeamish about the sight of blood? Be honest."

He shook his head. "Not hardly," he answered.

She turned to Bill, "Okay, here's what we're going to do. I'm gonna draw two tubes of blood from myself and mix some powdered substances in each tube. I'll shake the tubes, then I'll need you to drink them both, one right after the other. Are these tubes too large of volume for you to drink in one sitting?" She held up two large-sized test tubes.

"Elliot, I don't mean to be rude, but hello, vampire here. No problem, I can drink those tubes in one sitting." He laughed and rolled his eyes a little.

She smiled and touched his hand. Then she pulled back the sheet on the table to reveal an array of medical and chemical instruments and several vials of various powders and liquids.

She cleaned her inner elbow with an alcohol swab and after restricting her blood flow with a rubber stricture, she efficiently withdrew two tubes of blood, which she then topped with black rubber stoppers. She placed a bandaid on her inner elbow and pulled forward five chemical vials and a small electronic lab-grade scales.

"Elliot?" Sam began, but was quickly cut off by Elliot.

"Wait," she held up a hand briefly. She measured out the compounds and dropped them into the test tubes, three types in one tube and two types in the other. Re-stoppering the tubes quickly, she shook them and set them back into the metal tube rack.

"Bill, I hope you're still hungry," she looked at him and noticed his fangs were down. "I'll take that as a yes. Just another half-minute." He nodded.

"Okay, drink this one first," she handed him the first tube of blood and chemicals.

He downed it and sat quietly for a few seconds, his eyes closed, a look of relaxation and pleasure on his face.

"Now this one." She handed him the second tube. He drank this one quickly and handed the empty tube back to Elliot. Again he sat with his eyes closed, this time for so long that Sam reached across the table and touched Elliot's arm to get her attention.

"Is he okay?" Sam whispered.

"Yes, we should probably let him sit in peace for a few minutes if he wants to. Bill, we'll be in the living room." She got up and pulled Sam into the living room.

"What is it, what's wrong? I've never seen him look like that before," Sam was a little worried.

"He's fine. Sorry for having to cut you off back there. He's probably just enjoying the feeling of a nice quantity of warm fairy-human blood." She sat in a chair and checked under her bandaid to see if the bleeding had stopped. It had, so she removed the bandaid.

In the dining room, Bill was feeling warm and good but out-of-control, like he was on the edge of grabbing Elliot and having sex with her whether Sam was watching or not. When he'd drank from Elliot the night before, he'd not drank as much blood as the total volume in these two tubes, and the larger quantity seemed to awaken a wilder side of him. He felt all at once more expressive, expansive, and sensual, _very_ sensual.

"Elliot?" Bill called out. Elliot and Sam both went to Bill, concerned.

Bill stood up and looked at Elliot's lips, then up and down her body. "Come here," he whispered hoarsely to her. His fangs were down.

"Bill, this isn't the best time, you know," she held up her palms towards him.

"I need you. Now." He stepped forward and put his hands on her shoulders, sliding one of his hands down to her hand and lacing his fingers with hers. His other hand slid from her shoulder to the middle of her chest and down between her breasts, caressing every curve until his fingers hooked inside the waistband of her jeans. He slid his fingers smoothly along her waistband, starting in the middle, then slid his fingers from left to right slowly.

"Darlin', we have company, remember?" She wagged her head in Sam's direction.

"He doesn't mind, do you, Sam?" Bill was nuzzling his lips along the curve of Elliot's neck.

"No," Sam said, transfixed, "I don't mind."

"Bill, I mind. Besides, I really need you to conserve your energy now. I need you to go into the living room and make me a small fire in the fireplace." She put her face directly in front of Bill's face and made eye contact. She didn't really need a fire but, if building it would get Bill's mind off of sex, then it would be a good thing.

"Sam can do it," Bill persisted. Placing both of his hands behind her hips, he pulled her pelvis firmly against him and began undulating his groin against hers. "Mmm," he moaned.

She gasped as the desire to feel him inside her spread through her body like wildfire. "No, Bill. It's not a good time for what you're thinking." She tried unsuccessfully to dissuade him with her hands but he was faster than her, and she realized if he kept touching her like this, it wouldn't be long and they'd be having that threesome after all.

Perhaps a little fairy help could remedy the situation she decided. "Sam, would you excuse Bill and I for a few minutes?" Sam nodded begrudgingly and went to the living room. "Bill," Elliot sat and pulled up a second dining room chair, "Sit down here across from me and look into my eyes."

Fortunately he did as she asked and as soon as he looked into her eyes, she immediately placed her hands on each side of his head and put her face a few inches from his. She spoke to him softly, "Bill, I'm going to talk to you and interact with you inside your mind. I'm gonna take perfect care of you. You may have the sensation that I'm touching you or you're moving, but that's all inside your mind. Just relax and enjoy the ride."

"Okay," Bill answered softly. He put his hands on her knees and soon noticed he had the curious but pleasant sensation he was simultaneously being lifted from the floor while also falling through it.

"Let yourself go, Bill, join with me, become one with me," she whispered.

"Oh," he sighed as Elliot's eyes soon became all he could see or comprehend. He found himself standing in a bedroom. Elliot was standing in the corner, in the shadows, and as she walked slowly towards him, he could see she was completely naked. He looked down at himself and saw that he was naked, as well. As she drew nearer to him, she wasn't yet to him but he could feel her touching him in many places all at once, roaming his body, caressing him gently. He moaned as she knelt in front of him and took the entire length of his manhood into her mouth, quickly and smoothly, swirling her tongue around it as she took him. The sensation was exquisite, extraordinary, wonderful beyond imagination. Within seconds he came ferociously and without warning, as if the orgasm was being literally ripped from his groins. It was like nothing he'd ever felt and as it subsided, he found himself filled with a mixture of joy and a sense of being loved.

"Thank you, Sweetheart," he whispered.

"You're welcome, Bill." Elliot smiled at Bill lovingly. "You might want to take a few minutes and then join Sam and I in the living room." She bent and kissed him, then proceeded to the living room.

Finished spying on the two lovers, Sam slipped quickly back to the couch from his spying spot in the living room doorway before Elliot or Bill could see him. He felt guilty as hell, like some kind of dirty peeping Tom, but temptation had overwhelmed his better side. What he had witnessed was one of the strangest things he'd ever seen. Bill and Elliot had started out sitting in chairs facing each other and staring into each other's eyes. Elliot's hands were on the sides of Bill's head and his hands were on her knees. After a few seconds, he noticed sparkling colors swirling around Bill and Elliot. Soon the colors were swirling faster and faster, until Bill and Elliot looked almost blurry. Then suddenly the color sparkles stopped moving and exploded all at once, dissolving quickly into the air. At the same moment the colors exploded, Bill had shuddered and moaned loud and long as Elliot had slowly removed her hands from the sides of his head, slipping her fingertips across his face, down his chest, and they both had sat back in their chairs. Elliot was smiling. Bill looked slightly dazed at first, and then a huge grin spread across his face as he took Elliot's hand and kissed it and then he leaned forward, cupped her face in his hands and gave her a lingering and loving kiss. They had spoken briefly, and Bill had gotten up and left for another part of the house.

Sam looked at Elliot when she sat down again in the living room. "Everything okay?" Sam spoke quietly to Elliot.

"Yes, everything's fine," Elliot replied. Instantly she knew he had watched, but said nothing. No harm had come from it.

Bill returned to the living room and Elliot turned to him, her notebook and pen in hand. "Bill, we should review a few things. How do you feel right now? Do you feel comfortable physically?"

"I feel fine. I feel a little exhilarated, but that's probably from the big feeding you gave me a few minutes ago. I noticed that your blood is fairly, um, for lack of better words, thrilling, exciting, almost intoxicating," Bill answered.

"Okay, that's good. Well, we can probably just hang loose for awhile until we give you another treatment," Elliot leaned back and sprawled a little. "Are you ready to see the sunlight in a few hours, Bill?"

"Yes, I'm ready. It's somewhat disconcerting, the idea of it, but I have to remind myself that the treatment will keep me from starting on fire." Bill looked at Sam. "Sam, you look green. Just relax, it'll be okay."

Sam nodded, but said nothing. He remembered when Bill had come into the daylight to save Sookie from Rene and he'd started to burn alive. Sam had to quickly bury him to stop the burning while Sookie sat by the edge of the grave and sobbed. If anything whatsoever happened to Bill from this, Sookie would hand him his very ass on a plate, this he knew, regardless of how much she still held against Bill. Plus, Bill had become his friend and he didn't want to see his friend in pain or worse yet, finally dead.

"Sam," Elliot shouted and snapped her fingers, "I just thought of something. I have a little gift for you, remember I promised you?" She jumped out of her chair and ran out to her trailer. Sam looked at Bill, who only shrugged in return. Elliot returned shortly and handed Sam a small glass jar. Inside the jar were several clear gelatin capsules filled with a pale powdery substance.

"Unlike what I can do for Bill, I can't remove your shifter abilities," Elliot explained, "But I do have a formula given to me by a chemist friend who's also a shifter. She developed this formula and she uses it herself. It stops the shift from automatically happening when there's a full moon. You have to take one capsule at least an hour before the full moon rises and you can take it up to two days before the full moon. My friend usually takes it a couple days beforehand, says it keeps her from getting restless as the full moon approaches. I got these from my friend, but I have the formula and I can make you up a batch when I get home and ship it to you, if you like," Elliot said. "She told me to warn you, though, that if you take one of these, you won't be able to shift for a few days. I got these for you because Niall had told me about how you'd helped him."

"Thank you, Elliot. I really appreciate it. If I can control my shifts, it will really improve the quality of my life. This is great!" Sam opened the jar and took one of the gel caps out. "Can I take one now? It's a full moon tomorrow and if I'm gonna be helping you and Bill, I really need to stop the shift. I was just worrying about this, in fact."

"Sure, just take one though, never more than one," she replied. "My friend didn't tell me what happens if you take more than one, but she got a weird look on her face when I asked and she said what happens is not good. So don't tempt fate."

Sam nodded and asked, "Tell me about your shifter friend. What's she like, is she single?"

"She's single. She lives fairly near me, about an hour's drive from my house. She teaches at a university nearby. She's pretty, sexy, about the same age as me."

Sam looked at Elliot and raised his eyebrows as if to say, 'and how old are you?'

"Thirty-two," she supplied, "would you like to see a picture of her? I've got one on my personal website. Bill, do you have an internet connection here?"

"Yes, I have a wireless router. Use my laptop, I just got a new one and it's a powerhouse. I'll get it." He left the room and came back carrying a glossy Sony Vaio. He sat next to Elliot on the couch and powered up the laptop on the coffee table. It booted quickly and he sat back and smiled. "Beautiful," he sighed. Suddenly his smile was replaced by a puzzled expression, he sat up, looked at Elliot and said, "I feel funny."

"Talk to me," Elliot answered.

"I think, I think," Bill stood up for a few seconds, then sat down. Then he stood up again. He looked at Elliot with wide eyes full of amazement. "I think I have to, um, uh, please excuse me," Bill spoke quietly and with a mixture of awe and horror, as if he were experiencing something both wonderful and awful.

Elliot smiled. "Yes, that's normal, it's good. It means the medications are working for you, in fact, sooner than expected. I put something on the bathroom counter for you. Okay?" Bill nodded.

Elliot turned her attention to the laptop and brought up her website, logged in, and pulled up her personal pictures. "Here, Sam, this is my friend who's also a shifter, Lauren. This picture is when she and I went hiking. You can't see her hair because of her hat, but she has long blond hair."

"She's really pretty," Sam admired. "Her eyes are so beautiful, dark blue, right? Why don't you invite her down while you're here?"

"I'll ask, but she's teaching a class right now, I think. Oh, I just thought of something. She usually shifts into a dog, too."

"Hey," Sam responded enthusiastically, "Now I know I have to meet her."

Bill returned with a slight smile on his face.

"Everything okay, Buddy?" Sam asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Bill replied somewhat sternly, looking away from Sam and Elliot.

Elliot left the room and returned shortly with good news. "Everything's going well. Bill, you may start noticing some strange sensations in your body, especially in your skin, like a tingling here and there, and a feeling of either being too cold or too hot. If you feel too cold, put on a sweatshirt or something, if you're too hot, dress down. Okay?" He nodded. "What time is it?" She looked at her watch. "About another half-hour, Bill, and we'll give you another dose and a little of the Phase 2 medications."

Bill smiled and nodded. He wanted to reply with something glib, some type of witty comment, but truth be told, the rush of emotions now streaming through him had temporarily swept away all words. This was it, his moment of return. It felt like he'd been on a very long journey and now he was finally coming home.

Sam filled the conversation gap with some news he knew he needed to share. "Sookie's coming back tonight, this morning, whatever we call this all-nighter we're having. She called me late today and said they were flying into Shreveport and she'd be back to Bon Temps after catching some shut-eye in Shreveport." Sam looked around the room, anywhere but at Elliot and Bill, whom he assumed were probably wondering what they were going to tell Sookie about their relationship.

Elliot piped up. "Oh, that's good, Sam. Will you tell her that a distant relative through Niall is in town and would like to see her? I'd like her to phone me or I can phone her and we could set up a time and place. I don't know about her popping in here unannounced until she knows about Bill's treatment. Is that something she might do? Bill, what do you think?"

Bill shrugged and fiddled with his computer a little. He didn't know what, how, or when he'd tell Sookie about Elliot but he didn't want to think about it now. He wasn't even sure how much of it was Sookie's business. She was with Eric now and had been for these past several months. As far as rekindling his romance with her--as remote a concept as that seemed at present, he couldn't yet find his thoughts.

In a very short period of time, he had welcomed Elliot into his heart and he wasn't ready to burn any bridges with her by acting the fool over Sookie, that much he knew for sure. Could he be with Elliot while still holding the door open for Sookie if she chose to come back? After being with Elliot and how wonderful it was, did he even want to get back together with Sookie? And then there was the matter of him becoming a mortal human again. Surely Sookie would be glad for him, he considered. Would it change her feelings toward him? Would Elliot still want to be lovers with him even though he would be a mortal human while she remained a fairy with obviously powerful supernatural abilities? There was so much to consider. Without planning or notice, he took a deep breath and blew it out through pursed lips.

"Bill!" Elliot shreaked, "That was neat, you just had a very human reflex-type reaction! I love it!"

"What'd I do?" He smiled, mouth agape, looking back and forth between Elliot and Sam.

"You breathed," they shouted in unison.

"Now, just to let you know, Bill, you won't start breathing regularly just yet, but you'll start taking these kinds of breaths caused by emotional reactions," Elliot explained.

Bill nodded. "I breathed," he said calmly. "I breathed," he repeated in amazement, a smile spreading across his face. Suddenly he looked at them both, stood up and shouted, "I breathed!"

TBC

[Chapter 12 picks up with Sookie & Eric again.]


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Eric wrapped his arms around Sookie, cradling her gently as he kissed her lips, her face, her neck. Soon the taste of her, the feel of her called up the desire in him and he began fondling her breasts and kissing them. He rained kisses down her belly until his focus was interrupted by a gentle knock on the door.

"What?!" Eric replied loudly. His tone bore annoyance at being disturbed at this moment.

"Sir," Eric's valet, Mark, replied, "I'm here for your baggage. I've called the pilot and the plane should be ready by the time we get to the airstrip."

"Alright, give me a minute," Eric called out. "Sookie, sweetness, we'll need to go now. I'm sorry, more than you know. I wanted to show you my love and for our bodies to bond as our spirits have tonight." He looked at her lovingly.

"It's okay, Eric, we have more than tonight." Sookie smiled and kissed him lightly on the lips before slipping off the bed and straightening her clothes.

"Yes, we certainly do. I never like fighting with you, my lover, but it's good we came to an understanding. We did, did we not?"

"Yes, we did. We're going to work through our issues and find a way to meet both our needs. Right?" Sookie tucked her chin down a little and raised her eyebrows in a questioning expression.

"Absolutely," Eric threw his arms around her and picked her up off the ground, causing her to squeal with delight. He set her on her feet and opened the door for his valet. "Come in, Mark, we're ready to go."

Mark nodded. "Sir seems to be in very good spirits this evening. I'm glad to see it." Mark was polite and well-trained. Thirty years in Eric's employ in this capacity had taught him to keep things formal and polite. Mark was not a vampire so he couldn't intuit what Eric might want, but he'd been educated by Pam regarding Eric's needs and he served Eric well. As a token of appreciation, Eric had offered to turn Mark should he ever desire it, and now that Mark was 48 years old and starting to feel his age, he believed he might take Eric up on his offer sometime soon.

"Good evening, Miss Sookie," Mark nodded to Sookie.

"Hello, Mark, you can just call me Sookie," Sookie responded.

"Very well, Miss Sookie. Is this all you have for bags this evening?" He gestured toward her three cases.

"Yes, thanks, Mark," Sookie responded.

"And Mr. Northman, is this all you have?" Mark pointed to Eric's suitcase and garment bag.

Eric nodded. "Yes, thank you, Mark. Sookie and I will meet you at the car."

Eric put his arm around Sookie. "Ready to go home, Sookie?" She nodded and smiled wearily. She would be glad to get home. This had been a two-week business trip and she was tired of the seemingly endless protocol of the vampire gatherings. Once during this trip she'd asked Eric if he ever got tired of all the pomp and ceremony and he'd replied with a bewildered expression, "What pomp and ceremony? Sookie, this is nothing. You should see when the European and Asian royalty visit us, now that is something." He'd then launched into a lengthy explanation of feeding ceremonies, gift-giving, and so on. Sookie had been bored just listening to it, she couldn't imagine sitting through it without jumping up, screaming, and running out of the building.

The first thing she was going to do when she got home to Bon Temps was to put on an old pair of jeans and a t-shirt and sit outside in the sun. Maybe Tara would be free and they could get together for a cheeseburger and a gossip session. Then maybe they could hit the Sale racks at the local Wal Mart. Sookie loved Sales. Gran had always told her if you're paying full price for things, you're not living as well as you could so Sookie always watched the Sales. And even though she'd be getting a good paycheck for the job she'd just finished for the vampires, she didn't feel made of money and believed it was still best to live as cheaply as possible and put the leftover money in savings.

The flight home on the Lear jet was smooth and easy. After two hours in the air, Eric had climbed into his coffin and she and Mark had sealed it. Then she'd dozed a little and watched the sun rise from the air.

When she was stepping off the plane, she turned to Mark. "Do you think my driver could just take me home? I was going to stay at Eric's house for awhile and sleep for a few hours before driving my car home, but I've changed my mind. I've decided to just go home and then have my neighbor or a friend drive me to Eric's tonight to get my car. Could you please leave a note for Eric to that effect? And I'll see him tonight at Fangtasia's. Okay?"

"Certainly, Miss, the driver can take you to Bon Temps and I will leave a note for Mr. Northman that you've gone home and will return this evening to pick up your car and you'll see him at Fangtasia's." Mark repeated the details for the sake of accuracy.

"Thank you, Mark."

"And here's the car now, Miss Sookie, I'll get your bags from the plane." Mark fetched Sookie's bags and loaded them into the trunk. He then helped Sookie into the car and instructed the driver. "Have a good day, Miss."

"Thanks again, Mark." Sookie leaned back in her seat as the car drove off the tarmac and headed for the exit to the road leading to Bon Temps. She sighed and decided it would be so good to get home, to familiarity and comfort and things she could count on.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Elliot looked at Bill as she prepared to drape the heavy tarp around his shoulders, head, and over his face. "Okay, Bill. I'll see you on the other side of sunrise. You feeling alright?"

"I'm fine. Elliot?" Bill asked. She tucked her chin down a little and murmured a soft "mmhmm?"

"Kiss me," Bill looked into her eyes. She felt a flood of emotions pouring from him as she bent forward and kissed him tenderly. Then she sat back while still looking at him and draped the folds of canvas over the last part of him still exposed to the ever-increasing twilight.

Bill had asked to sit on the porch in his antique rocking chair for his meeting with the sun. It was the one his mother had used to rock him and his siblings when they were babies, and it'd been restored many times over the decades. He normally never sat in it himself considering how precious it was and how fragile it might be for bearing weight, nor did he allow others to do so, but this seemed like a momentous time in his life, an event worthy of a truly great chair.

He sat in darkness inside the tarp and wondered what it would be like to see the sun rise again. He'd not seen the sun rise in over 145 years but he certainly remembered it well, not that he'd had much time to sit and enjoy it during his human existence. He was a farmer who'd been born to a farmer. As a boy growing up on a farm, as soon as he'd proven his abilities to his father, he'd gotten up at least an hour or more before sunrise to milk the two cows who supplied milk for the household. That was his job year-round, no matter if he had to go to school or if it was summertime. And of course, summertime brought a great deal of chores before he could think about swimming or fishing with his friends. It had been a good life, regardless of the lean times that came their way periodically, and there was a great deal to enjoy on a beautiful day in Bon Temps. A day in Bon Temps, to enjoy a day, he couldn't stop thinking about it that way, a day, enjoy the day. He couldn't wait to go somewhere and hear someone tell him, "Enjoy your day", and he was going to say it right back, "Why thank you, enjoy your day, too".

Elliot gently interrupted his musing. "Bill, the sun has broke the horizon a little and I'm going to start unwrapping your hands. If you feel any burning sensations or discomfort, let us know right away."

"Okay," he replied from inside his tarpaulin cocoon.

Elliot slowly unwrapped his left hand while Sam did the same to his right hand. They continued unwrapping until they reached his shoulders. He remained fine, no pain, no discomfort. They repeated the operation on his feet and legs. Then they opened the tarp to expose his clothed body, and finally last of all, his head, then his face.

He sat with his eyes closed for several long seconds, the tarp lay in folds around his back. Except for his clothes, he was exposed to the newly dawning sunlight. Elliot sat next to him still holding his hand. Sam remained on his other side, folds of tarp in his hands in case he needed to quickly redrape Bill.

Sitting with his eyes closed, Bill knew the moment he had long dreamed of but thought he'd never see again had arrived. He opened his eyes and looked out across the emerald green lawn, so green it seemed to almost glow like a light unto itself and he raised his eyes to the most beautiful sunrise he'd ever seen in his entire life. The sky was awash in violet and gold and orange against azure blue, the look of it was so completely magnificent that he was overwhelmed with love and the feeling that God was there, right there, with them, with him. His eyes filled with tears and a sob escaped his throat, "Oh, God, it's so beautiful. Oh, dear sweet Jesus." He stood up and stepped forward to the top of the stairs, Elliot and Sam with him, holding his arms, keeping the tarp wrapped around his back like a cape, just in case they needed it. But they didn't. He was fine.

The three of them stood quietly with their faces to the horizon in awe of the extraordinary sunrise. There was no need to hurry as they watched the sun flood the countryside with light and life.

After awhile Bill sat down on the top step. Sam mirrored his actions and sat shoulder-to-shoulder with Bill, still protective of him, afraid to relax his watch. Elliot stood, "I'm gonna make some coffee." Sam nodded. Bill remained quiet, smiling, looking at the sky and the trees and his yard, his cheeks wet with tears. He caught Elliot's hand as she stood and squeezed it. She understood. His world was full of color again, blazing glorious color, bright, light, variations and shades of all hues of color.

Elliot returned shortly and sat down next to him on the stairs. She handed him a test tube of her blood. "Bill, this is your first dose of the phase three medications. Drink this, and then in a couple minutes, drink this whole cup of water." She set the cup on the stair by his feet.

He drank the blood and restoppered the tube, frowning. "Did you eat something weird or are the chemicals just funny-tasting?"

"No, and no. You're just physically moving away from enjoying a diet of blood. You'll have your last dose of phase three in a little while. After that, you'll lose your appetite for blood products fairly quickly. You'll also notice your fangs will become sluggish today during the day and after a day or two at the most, you won't be able to extend your fangs at all. You'll also see a dramatic decrease in your vampire abilities all day today and progressing over the next few days. You won't be as physically strong and you won't be as fast. In a few days you'll possess the same strength as a normal human man."

She stood up. "I'll be right back. Sam, you take anything in your coffee?" Sam shook his head. He'd smiled at how Elliot explained all of these changes to Bill, like it was nothing, just part of the way things worked in her world.

Bill drank the water Elliot had left for him. It tasted delicious, so cool and smooth, refreshing. He smiled and thought about how it's amazing the way he'd taken for granted things like the simple pleasure of drinking a cold glass of water until one day he couldn't drink it anymore because the privilege has been taken away by a different existence in a body that looked like his but betrayed him in so many ways.

"Good water?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, very good water," Bill nodded, still smiling.

Elliot returned with two steaming mugs of coffee, Sam's black, hers with milk in it. Bill looked at her with mock indignation, "Where's my coffee? I take mine black, too, and I love coffee." He dragged out the "love coffee" for emphasis.

"Not this morning, I'm sorry. I don't want to risk caffeine interactions just yet. You can have some this afternoon, though, if you want."

"One sip," Bill insisted.

"Okay, but of mine, since mine is decaf. Not sure this really qualifies as coffee in your book." She held out her cup and he took it from her carefully, a huge grin on his face. He felt the same awe as if he were child being allowed a sip of coffee for the very first time. He was thrilled, excited, just for the flavor of it.

He held the cup to his lips and tipped some of the hot brew into his eager mouth. "Mmmm," he groaned with the deepest of pleasure. "Oh, Elliot, it's so good, oh God, so mmmm, yes."

"Bill, I'm so happy for you, Man," Sam said, "I feel like my coffee is better too, just to see you enjoy it like this, and the sunrise, all of it. This is a special moment."

Bill looked around. "It's amazing how everything looks so different in the daylight. I'd forgotten. It's almost like I'm in a whole different place, even though it's my same old yard, my same porch, same trees. And the sounds, the birds are singing, it's so beautiful." He yawned.

"You're probably gonna feel pretty sleepy for most of today, Bill," Elliot said. "In spite of it, I want you to stay awake and just sit out here for at least an hour or so, let yourself pick up the sun rays before you go inside. It'll help your biological clock start to reset itself to being awake during the day and asleep at night. I need you to drink a half to a whole cup of water every hour. Sam, how sleepy are you? You and I are going to need to make sure that at least one of us is with Bill everywhere he goes for at least the next twelve hours."

"I'm not sleepy at all, Elliot. I can skip a night's sleep without any problems. It's a side benefit of being a shifter. When it's a full moon and I shift at sunset, I usually stay out all night, then come home, shift to my human form and go straight to work, work all day and half the night. Then I go home and go to bed," Sam explained.

"That's good, I hope this will work for you then. Will you need to go into work today?" Elliot asked.

"No, Terry Bellefleur and Tara can cover for me today and tonight," Sam answered.

"So after we give Bill his last dose in a little while, do you mind if I go lay down for a couple hours?" Elliot was hopeful. She was exhausted. "I'd just lay on the couch and sleep in case you need me in a hurry."

"That's fine, you can lay down now if you want," Sam encouraged.

"Do you think you could run over to Merlotte's and bring back a few food items? It's closer than the grocery store," Elliot asked.

"Sure, what do we need?" Sam asked, getting up.

"I made a list," she handed him a piece of paper with several items written on it. "When you get back I'll lay down and sleep for awile."

Sam hopped quickly into his vehicle and left.

Bill took advantage of the privacy to slip his arm around Elliot's waist. "Elliot, I never noticed before that you have red and in your hair and your green eyes are kinda bluish and your lips are really red." And with that, he cupped her face in his hands and tenderly kissed her beautiful mouth. "Thank you for this, Elliot, thank you so much."

"You're welcome. Let's go in the house for a few minutes. I'd like to get ready for your last dose of meds." She led him back into the house and they went to the table, where she drew blood and prepped two tubes with the medications. "Here, you can drink these two now."

He sat down and drank the first tube of blood. "Arrgh," he gagged. "What's in the medication. It tastes awful, sickening."

"Drink the second one. You can wash it down with a cup of water. Okay?"

He drank the second one quickly and gagged again, wretching several times before grabbing the water and gulping it down madly. "Oh, that was unexpected. Beautiful fairy blood and I can't stand the taste, the texture, or the temperature. It's so salty and simply dreadful tasting. So was that my last blood feeding?"

"Yep. When Sam returns he's gonna bring some crackers and I want you to eat some of those. Then I want you to have chicken noodle soup and more crackers for lunch and for dinner, more soup but with bread and butter."

"Crackers, soup, bread, sounds wonderful. When can I have steak?" he asked, smiling broadly with eyebrows raised.

"In a few days, most likely." She yawned.

"You're sleepy. Let's make you a little bed on the couch. Will I feel sleepy later? Right now I feel ready for anything—except for more blood, that is."

"You should probably feel a little washed out pretty soon. Your body's making a lot of changes very quickly right now, so that will wear you out. You should lay down in a few hours, too, even if you're not sleepy." Elliot ran her fingers through his hair. He looked so magnificent, so alive, and the look on his face was one of excitement and happiness.

She wondered what it would be like to be loved by him. Surely it would be the most perfect feeling she could ever experience. She'd started falling in love with Bill from the first moment they'd met and now it greatly appeared it was all for nothing. She'd unwittingly set them both up for a fall. Because of the email she'd received from her grandfather this morning, she knew she'd never get the chance to pursue a relationship with Bill. Reading it broke her heart into a thousand pieces.

"Little One", he'd written, "I have news for you that you probably will not like. Quilan's request for the Fae Euro-American High Court to overturn your rejection of his hand in marriage has been granted. You know what this means. You are required to marry him. While I understand your desire to choose your own mate rather than the one your parents have arranged for you means a great deal to you, I must insist that you return to your home in Day Creek and await the arrival of Quilan, his family and your own relatives. Once you, Quilan, and the families are present, a traditional Fae wedding ceremony will be conducted. Hopefully, Quilan will agree to live at your home rather than in Ireland. However, if he requires you dwell in Ireland at the home of his Mother, then you will need to comply. I understand you are working on your project in Louisiana and that it means a great deal to you. Because of this, I have restrained Quilan's and his family's enthusiasm and they have agreed to travel to your home in one month. You must be present to receive Quilan with the full respect and affections requisite with him being your Betrothed. I trust you will make me proud. Love, Grandfather Niall"

When she'd read his words, she felt all the air being sucked out of her lungs along with all the hope and joy in her heart. Quilan was, without a doubt, the cruelest and nastiest Fae man she'd ever known.

They were the same age and when they were both children she'd had to play with him when his parents came to visit her parents. He was selfish and controlling and would pinch her arms and pull her hair when their parents were out of the room. When the parents were present of course, it was a different story altogether. He acted like the perfect little angel, waiting on her, fetching cups of water for her, playing tea party with her. Her parents had been charmed and couldn't imagine he was anything but perfect. And so, after much negotiation, her parents and Quilan's parents had made a marriage pact for her and Quilan to be married by the age of maturity. In the Fae world, that meant they had to be married by the age of 30.

Indeed, Quilan had started pestering her to marry him after they both turned 27. He'd dated scores of women, but he wanted what he couldn't have and that was Elliot. Despite his smouldering good looks, he disgusted her thoroughly. She had filed a case of rejection with the Fae courts but he'd fought her. And now, it appeared, he'd finally won.

At this juncture, there were no remaining legal avenues for her to pursue. If she refused to marry Quilan, he could kill her without prosecution by the Fae. Or he could capture her, torture her, rape her, imprison her or do any depraved thing he wanted with her. Knowing Quilan, he'd choose the later. Why kill her when he could toy with her and punish her for her rejection of him? No woman had ever rejected him except Elliot and surely he would not tolerate it. Elliot knew to core of her being, marriage to him would be Hell beyond imagination.

She looked at Bill as he stood at the window, holding back the curtain and looking outside. "I'll need to mow my lawn soon. It's so green." He laughed and stepped across the room to her, scooping her up off her feet and kissing her passionately. "I want you. Elliot, I want you. Love me, Elliot, love me now." He carried her to the stairs and up to the bedroom.

No sooner than he laid Elliot gently on the bed that Sam hollered "Hello" from the foyer. Elliot and Bill smiled at each other. "I'll catch you later, fairy girl," Bill promised.

TBC

The day passed uneventfully. Elliot had napped and Bill had puttered around in the yard and indoors. Sam had stayed close to Bill's side, ever cautiously dragging along the heavy tarp as Bill measured around the outside of the house and calculated how much top soil he'd need for the new flower beds he planned to dig and fill.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The majority of the day passed without problems. Elliot napped while Bill puttered around in the yard performing various gardening chores. Sam stayed close to Bill's side, ever vigilant and always dragging along the heavy tarp as Bill measured around the outside of the house and muttered to himself about how much top soil he'd need for the new flower beds he planned to dig and fill.

By mid-afternoon Bill was ready for a much-needed rest. True to Elliot's prediction, he had tired after awhile and instead of laying on the vacant couch in the living room, he pushed a groggy Elliot over on her couch in order to lay close to her. Bill was happy and relaxed and sleep settled upon him peacefully as he cuddled around Elliot in spoon fashion. The living room fan blew a gentle warm breeze on them both and even Sam set his worrying aside for awhile and stretched out in the frontyard hammock for a much-needed siesta.

Sookie picked wildflowers as she walked through the graveyard on a mission to leave a note in Bill's house taped to the inside of his hidey hole closet door. She needed him to drive her to Shreveport to pick up her car and he was to call her as soon as he read the note.

She'd planned to sleep for only a few hours after arriving home early this morning and then get up and go shopping, but that's not how things worked out. Apparently, her business trip with Eric and the flight home had fatigued her more than she'd realized. As a consequence, she'd slept for ten long hours and when she finally awakened, it was with a start and a sense of urgency to get to Shreveport to pick up her car and to be with Eric.

She stopped at Gran's grave and laid down her bouquet of freshly-picked flowers next to the tombstone. "Gran?" Sookie asked, kneeling down next to the bouquet, "I picked you a little bouquet of flowers and I'm taking good care of your roses and the yard, Gran, I want you to know that. I love you, Gran." She wiped the unexpected tears from her eyes and looked up at the sky, not knowing which direction was Heaven but where ever it was, certainly Gran was there looking down on her. This much she knew for sure.

When she stepped into the clearing at the edge of Bill's yard, she was surprised to see Sam's jeep and a large fifth-wheel pickup truck hitched to a big trailer parked in the driveway. She raised her eyebrows, pondering the instant mystery of it. Bill had company plus Sam was there in the middle of the day too. What was this all about? Considering this was the home of a vampire, a day-sleeper, it was altogether too curious.

She surveyed the yard. By the looks of the hammock, someone was taking a nap in it. She crept to it very quietly, barely breathing, easing herself around to the side for a view of the occupant. Her eyebrows shot up with surprise at the sight of Sam, sleeping quite soundly, his mouth hanging open in the deep slumber of the innocent. Should she wake him up and ask him what's going on? While she stood there watching him sleep and considering the options, he opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Sookie," he said groggily as the mists of sleep lifted. Suddenly, he jerked with surprise and stumbled to his feet. "Sookie, what are you doing here? What do you want?" And then he yelled in an effort to warn Bill of his unexpected visitor, "Sookie, what do you want, Sookie?"

"Sam, what are you yelling about? Have you lost your mind? And what are _you_ doing here, if I may ask?" Sookie frowned at him indignantly, hands on her hips.

"Sookie," Sam said very loudly, "What can I help you with?"

"No," Sookie shook her head, "I asked first. What are _you_ doing here?"

"No, I asked first but who cares. I'm helping Bill with his yard," Sam fabricated. "Now your turn. What are _you_ doing here?"

"I'm bringing him a note. I need him to take me to Shreveport tonight to pick up my car," Sookie replied. She looked Sam up and down with growing suspicion.

Sam took Sookie's arm and turned her away from the house, half-dragging her back across the lawn. "Well he's busy and he can't help you tonight. Now come, I'll walk you home."

"You take your hands off me right now, Sam Merlotte." Sookie yanked her arm loose and began stomping back towards the house. She shouted back over her shoulder, "You're hiding something from me, Sam, and I don't like it." She strode mightily across the porch and into the house, screen door slamming behind her.

Sam didn't follow Sookie. Why go looking for trouble, he asked himself? From his position in the yard, Sam noticed that although Sookie was now inside Bill's house, all was quiet. Unfortunately, he found, a quiet moment was only the eye of the storm because no sooner did he think everything might go over smoothly that the air split with the loudest, highest-pitched, blood-curdling scream he'd ever heard from anyone, let alone from Sookie Stackhouse.

"Oh my gaaawwd," she shrieked, "Bill, get up, you're going to burn alive!" She stood in front of him with her arms outstretched, fingers splayed as he sat up, staring at her in shock. "Bill, get up, what's wrong with you, you're going to burn up. Please! Hurry!" She grabbed frantically at his hands. Tears streamed down her face.

"Sookie, it's okay, calm down, sit down. I won't burn up. I've been going through treatments to become human again. I can be in the sun now," Bill explained as he held her wrists to help calm her. He nodded at the coffee table directly behind Sookie. "Here, sit. I'll explain. Sookie, this is Elliot. Elliot, Sookie."

"Sit over here with us, Sookie," Elliot moved to the side and gestured for Sookie to sit between her and Bill. Sookie looked at Bill and Elliot in bewilderment, still feeling the horror of what she'd seen only seconds earlier, her chest heaving with emotion, then sat between them. She hid her face in her hands and sobbed from the aftershocks. Elliot gestured to Bill for him to put his arms around Sookie.

Sookie wept for a minute or so while Bill held her and gently stroked her hair, "It's okay, Sookie, it's okay. I'm almost done with my treatments. I can eat food now and I can be out in the sunlight."

"You can?" Sookie sniffled. "Is that why you were laying with her, so she could give you human essence, like the reverse of becoming a vampire?"

"No, Sookie, my treatments are chemical."

"Oh, she's your girlfriend then?" Sookie asked. It was all so much to take in.

Bill hadn't expected this moment to come so quickly, the moment of decision but now that it was here, he knew the answer and spoke it from his heart. "Yes, she's my girlfriend." He smiled at Elliot over Sookie's bowed head. Elliot was warmed that Bill had acknowledged her as such, but her eyes jumped immediately to Sookie's face. It was entirely possible this bit of news would go over like a rock and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt Sookie.

Sookie held out her hand to Elliot and tried bravely to smile. "I'm pleased to meet you."

Elliot grabbed Sookie's hand warmly and shook it. "I'm very pleased to meet you, too."

Sookie looked at her lap for a moment, avoiding eye contact while trying to assimilate everything. Bill was becoming human again _and_ he had a girlfriend? Suddenly she looked at Bill. "Why am I getting the word 'cousins' from you, Bill?" Her eyes widened with horror. "Are you dating your cousin?! Oh my God, Bill, that's disgusting! Is it even legal?"

Elliot jumped inwardly, she hadn't expected Sookie to dip into Bill's mind so quickly. Oh, well, might as well take the bull by the horns now rather than later, she decided. "No, Sookie, I'm not Bill's cousin. I'm _your_ cousin, your first cousin once removed, to be exact. Your great-grandfather is my grandfather."

Bill glanced at Sookie, his brows furrowed. "Yes, Sookie. I hope you're not hurt by Elliot's and my relationship. We met recently and well, we really hit it off." He smiled at Elliot and touched her shoulder lightly.

"No, I don't mind. I'm happy for you, both of you," Sookie replied, a little too brightly for Elliot to be assured Sookie was indeed alright with their relationship. Elliot knew she didn't have but two more weeks with Bill and she wanted to spend as much of that time with him as possible. The memories of her time with him would have to last the rest of her life and she desperately wanted these two weeks to go as smoothly as possible.

Elliot extended her empathy and telepathy into Sookie for a deeper glimpse into what Sookie was truly thinking and feeling. She felt guilty for doing it without Sookie's permission, but if she was going to quickly help Sookie integrate her fairy qualities, she needed to know what she was up against if Sookie wound up resisting her help because of resentments about Bill.

What Elliot found inside Sookie's mind about herself and Bill was small compared to the other issues Sookie was currently grappling with. Yes, Sookie was hurt about the fact that Bill was truly moving on, but she'd known this day would eventually come and she was already nearly resigned to it. Someone named Selah popped up as a woman Bill had casually dated.

The other issues in Sookie's mind were far more troubling. Sookie was genuinely frightened about something. From what Elliot could see, Sookie had awakened with a feeling of foreboding that someone wanted retribution for something in which she'd been involved. For reasons of protection, Sookie wanted to be with Eric or Bill when darkness fell.

Elliot pulled back her feelers. Considering the possibility of impending danger, she needed to help Sookie and the sooner, the better. Perhaps it would be best to lay out more of her cards on the table. She took Sookie's hands.

"Sookie, we're related through Grandfather Niall, not a human grandfather." Elliot looked into Sookie's eyes and Sookie nodded. "You and I have a lot in common. We're both part-fairy. I'm half-fairy and I was raised by fairy parents. This means I've been schooled and practiced in using the fairy gifts. I'd like to help you learn how to use your fairy gifts. Would you consider letting me help you do that?"

Sookie smiled and nodded. "I'd like that very much. Can you help me with my telepathy? I can't always shut out the way I hear other people's thoughts and it's really hurt my life in a lot of ways."

"I should be able to help you with that. I have lots of techniques I used when my telepathy was still reaching into everyone's minds like a wild octopus," Elliot laughed. "We can start today, if you want."

Sookie nodded eagerly. Elliot took Sookie's hand and began leading her in the direction of the kitchen. "Bill, you ready for your soup and bread?" she called out over her shoulder.

"Yes, and then I'll have my steak," he replied, reaching for the TV remote and switching on a baseball game.

"Mmhmm," she placated him.

"He's on a soup diet today," she told Sookie. "He'll be on more solid foods soon."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Sookie sat on a stool in the kitchen watching Elliot heat up Bill's soup and butter his bread slices.

"I don't understand how this works. Bill has had treatments and now he's becoming human again?!" Sookie was incredulous.

Elliot nodded. "I'm a chemist, Sookie. I developed the treatment and have used it on some other vampires, well, former vampires, a few months ago. Bill's past the halfway mark in his treatment. By this time tomorrow, we'll be close to giving him the final compound, which is derived from a plant that grows in this area. His body will be a tad bit on the weak side for a few weeks, but he's essentially already much more human than he is vampire," Elliot explained.

"I can understand why he would sign up for something like this, but to be really honest, and please don't take this personally, it's kinda hard to trust someone I don't know." Sookie looked hard at Elliot. "I mean, who are you?"

"I'm Niall Brigant's granddaughter. And, you can look me up on the internet if you want to read some references to my education and articles I've published in scientific journals. But Sookie, my inner sense is you're asking because you're worried and you just want to believe that Bill's gonna be okay. And to be honest with you, there are risks involved but so far, Bill's coming through with flying colors. If it weren't working as planned, how could Bill be sitting in his living room in the late afternoon sun?"

Sookie nodded, "Yeah, you're right. I feel a little better, thanks." Sookie squinted and furrowed her brows a little. "So you're my cousin, huh?"

"Yes, are you sure you're okay with Bill's and my personal relationship?" Elliot glanced sidelong at Sookie as she poured Bill some water.

"As long as you treat him right, I'm fine with it. I'm with someone else now. So where do you live?" Sookie tilted her head at Elliot as she helped arrange Bill's supper on a tray.

"I live in Washington state on a big farm, but I lived many years in Ireland when I was growing up. My Mam died when I was ten, and my Da and I moved to Ireland to live in the village where her family still lives. It's a fairy village, although you really wouldn't know it by looking at it, if you could find it, that is. It's not on any maps and no paved roads lead to it. The village was a wee bit sequestered in some ways but perfectly worldly in other ways. When I was eighteen, I moved to the U.S. to attend college. And when my Da was killed four years later, I used my inheritance to buy my farm, although I didn't start living there until a few years ago," Elliot said.

"I'm sorry about your parents. Mine were killed in a flash flood when I was eight. My brother, Jason, and I were raised by my Gran, my father's mother."

"I was told. I'm sorry that happened to them and to you, Sookie," Elliot said solemnly. After a respectful pause, Elliot picked up Bill's tray. "I'll be right back, I've got to take this to Bill."

"Oh, let me. I've always wanted to serve Bill his dinner." Sookie took the tray and returned shortly with a broad smile on her face. "He started eating the bread before I even set the tray down. Then as soon as I had it on the table, he had his spoon in his hand and starting eating the soup and moaning with pleasure. I swear his eyes almost rolled back in his head. Then he went right back to watching the TV and eating and moaning. Men."

"Yep," Elliot agreed with a soft chuckle. They turned as Sam came in the back door. "Hi, Sam. Say, would you be a darlin' and get something out of my trailer for me? It's a black canvas bag shaped like a big suitcase. I also need one of the green oxygen tanks right next to it. When you come back, I've got some supper ready for you, if you're hungry for it."

"Yeah, I'm gettin' hungry. Keys?" He grabbed them from the counter where Elliot pointed. "Be right back."

Sookie re-ponytailed her hair, staring after Sam. "I feel like bonking him right on the head. When I came into the yard a little while ago, he tried to get rid of me."

"He did? Oh Sookie, I'm sorry. He probably was afraid of you seeing Bill in the daylight."

"Don't make excuses for him. Sam and I have been through this secret-keeping business before, and now I see he's just as good at it as he ever was. I guess 'ya can't teach an old dog new tricks." Sookie snickered. "Sorry, I'm shameless."

Elliot smiled. She could see Sookie was going to be fun. Sam lumbered in through the backdoor with the requested items. "Where?" he asked.

"In the pantry is good enough, I think." She turned to Sookie. "How long can you stay this evening, Sookie?"

"Well, the sun is going down now, and I really should be going but it's so much fun here. Maybe I could hang around for another hour or two, then I really need to have someone take me to my car at Eric's house. Plus, Eric will be expecting me at the club tonight."

"Okay, well, I'm sure I speak for everyone that we want you to stay as long as you like, but if you do, you've got to know that sometime this evening, we have to give Bill another treatment, and you might be upset seeing it."

"I won't be upset," Sookie replied. "I want to be here. Bill is my friend, a dear friend, really. I want to help, too, if there's anything you need me to do."

"Okay, well for now, there's nothing. If Sam can hang with Bill for awhile, you and I can go for a walk in the woods." Sam nodded and Elliot and Sookie slipped out the backdoor.

"So, Eric is your boyfriend, right?" Elliot asked.

"Yes, he's a vampire too, well, I guess just a vampire now that Bill's not one anymore. I still can't get over it that Bill's going to be a human again and really soon. Already kinda is, right?" She looked at Elliot to confirm her understanding. Elliot nodded.

"And you're my fairy cousin? Elliot, it's just cool. So, my telepathy, will you show me some ways to control it?"

"Sure, but first, how much do you know about your own telepathy?" Elliot inquired. She gestured for them to sit on a fallen log just inside the woods.

"Well, it started when I was a child and I always knew I was hearing other people's thoughts, that it wasn't my own thoughts popping into my head. Then when I went to school, it was really hard to concentrate because I'd be hearing the thoughts of the children in class around me. They'd be saying all kinds of letters and numbers and even arguing with their own selves on things and it'd be so loud sometimes, I couldn't concentrate on my own schoolwork. Then when I was a teenager, things were a lot worse. I'd still hear people's thoughts, but I'd get expressions on my face because of what I was hearing, and people thought I was weird. Most girls wouldn't have anything to do with me, except Tara of course, she's my best friend, and most of the boys thought I was crazy so I never had too many dates and the ones I did have didn't go so well.

"After school I went to work and I've worked the longest at Merlotte's, as a waitress. I like that job because if folks get to thinking something that makes me uncomfortable, I can excuse myself and come back later when they're done thinking it. It's like, I control the contact, not the other way around and that's best for me.

"At various times, like if I've had some vampire blood, sometimes it's easier to control it, to block out folks' thoughts, and sometimes, and don't tell Eric or any vampires, but sometimes if I've had vampire blood, I can read the thoughts of vampires. Now that's a scary mess, I tell you. I don't think there's anything scarier than the mind of a vampire," Sookie shook her head.

"That's really interesting. I've never tried to read the mind of a vampire before. I'd like to try it and see if I could do it without the vampire knowing." Elliot rubbed her chin.

"I've got an idea. Let's all go to Fangtasia tonight. They've got lots of vampires there, it's a vampire bar. You could try to read one of their minds." Sookie got excited at the idea. Her life as a telepath was very solitary---Barry the Bellboy hardly counted, being a guy and all, and Sookie was enjoying having a female cousin to share this with, especially someone who could help her hone her talent.

Elliot tilted her head and shook it slowly. "I'm reluctant to say yes to going tonight, Sookie, because of Bill's treatment. We probably should lay low around the house this evening. Maybe tomorrow night, but I don't think Bill should go. It probably would be awkward if he gets into a confrontation and he's expected to extend his fangs and ooops, no fangs."

"Oh, you're totally right, yeah," Sookie nodded.

Elliot turned to Sookie. "Well, let me tell you a little about telepathy and using it and blocking it before we have to go back in the house. Here's the thing with telepathy. Most people feel the best use of it is as a two-way communication tool, like conversing with someone, only it's all mental, your physical ears can't hear but your mind does."

Sookie nodded as Elliot continued. "Whereas, if we use it as a one-way listening tool, we're just getting a snapshot of their viewpoint on something and a possible inclination of how they'd act, but not a guarantee of how they'd act."

Sookie's eyes widened. "Wow, really? I was afraid of this. You know, I've been working for the vampires sometimes. They hire me to read someone's mind and then tell them what that person is thinking. I've been more and more worried that someday I'll say what someone is thinking and they will take it to mean more than it does and then I'll wind up in trouble."

Elliot asked, "Well, you're right to be cautious mainly because sometimes people think more highly of our skills than we do and they exaggerate the importance of our findings. You know what, though, there is a fairy skill you can learn to use which would give you a better guess at how someone is going to act. It takes most fairies years to learn how to do it. It's called Directional Intent, and some fairies are very, very good at it. I can do it fairly well, myself. "

"I'd like to learn how to do that," Sookie said.

"Well, after you learn some other things first, I can show you how to get started with Directional Intent, or just DI, as some of us fairies call it. Like if we're investigating something, a mystery for instance, and we're talking about it, a fairy will say they DI'ed someone. Sometimes two fairies will go into a person's mind at the same time. We can find out things more quickly that way."

"You mean fairies investigate things?" Sookie was wide-eyed and enthused.

"Yes, some fairies work in the human's world or the supernatural's world as private investigators. It's believed by most supernaturals that there are no better investigators than fairies."

"Oh, I would be interested in doing that, very much so," Sookie bubbled.

"Ok, well here are some things you can do to rein in your telepathy. First, before you leave your house or enter into the company of others, chant these Gaelic words three times." Elliot close to Sookie and whispered into her ear. "Then sit with your eyes closed and breathe deeply for a few minutes. Then go and be with others. If their thoughts still intrude, cup your hand over your mouth and whisper the words I just told you once. Then close your eyes for a second and breathe in and out three times. After you've done this for a few days and you find it's working, let me know and I'll give you a set of instructions for completely shutting your telepathy down. Once you get it pushed down, then you need to learn how to call it up only when you need it. Okay? I'll write the instructions down for you."

Sookie hugged Elliot. "Thank you so much. I'm so glad you're here."

"I'm glad to be here, too. Thank you for welcoming me. Now. Let's go give Bill his treatment."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

When Elliot and Sookie returned to the house they found Bill and Sam in the living room engrossed in a baseball game on TV. "Oh, for Pete's sakes, did you see that?!" Bill cried. "I can't believe he swung at that!"

"Yeah," Sam was equally surprised, "Well, he's a rookie. You know how they are when they're new."

"Gentlemen, sorry to interrupt but it's time to get Bill's phase 4 treatment out of the way now," Elliot spoke gently. This part of the treatment was no one's favorite.

"Oh, not more blood, please. Can't we put the medications in a glass of tea or water or something?" Bill grimaced.

Elliot shook her head, "Not this time, Bill. This is the point where we need to use the defibrillator on you to get your heart beating again."

"Oh, God," Sookie and Sam said in unison. Sookie clutched at herself and Sam looked off to the side, wishing they could skip this step. Bill nodded without speaking. He knew this moment was coming eventually and it was quite unnerving but a necessary step. He was committed to the completion of this treatment, no matter the outcome, even if it cost his life.

"Sam," Elliot instructed, making every effort to avoid emotional expression and foster a calm environment, "Would you mind fetching the items you brought in from the trailer a little while ago and helping me set them up in here? I think we've got enough electrical outlets in here and I like the spaciousness of this room. Bill, we're gonna lay you on this long coffee table. Sookie, would you mind bringing a couple sheets and blankets and a fairly flat pillow from upstairs and laying them out on this table? Bill, I need you to strip down to your underwear and tuck in as soon as we've got the bedding laid out on our little makeshift bed here."

Sam returned with the oxygen tank and the large canvas suitcase and he helped Elliot unpack and set everything up. In a matter of minutes Bill was stretched out on the table draped in bedding up to his waist, hooked up to equipment which would show his heart beat and respiration. . Right now, it read zero for his heart beat and his respirations. If everything went the way it should, soon it would be displaying Bill's heart as beating and his lungs as breathing in and out. Elliot had slipped the board used for defibrillations under Bill's body, everything appeared to be ready.

Elliot was anxious to get this over with; there was no need to drag it out. It had to be done. She sensed Bill was seriously frightened of this procedure, as anyone would be considering the instinct in all creatures for self-preservation. By submitting to this process, Bill was exercising complete self-control over his urge to get up and run like the devil for parts unknown. She had performed this process four times before and each of the four individuals had devolved into an emotional mess at this point. And yet, Bill lay before her, completely still, looking up at her serenely. He was different, stronger than most, she noticed. She moved the wires connecting him to the vital signs monitor so she could move in a little closer.

Elliot had instructed Sam on how to assist her by putting the oxygen cannula into Bill's nostrils plus he would place conducting gel on the paddles for her. They each had their own job. "Bill, you ready?" she asked. He nodded. She bent over him and spoke an incantation in ancient Gaelic. She removed the paddles from their holders, Sam shot gel onto the paddles surfaces, and then suddenly, the doorbell rang.

"Oh for Pete's sake," Sam muttered.

"What should we do?" Sookie whispered. The doorbell rang again. Her bond with Eric fluttered. Was he the one ringing the bell?

"Ignore it," Elliot said, standing. She replaced the paddles in the handles, adjusting the controls appropriately, and turned in the direction of the doorbell. She stood facing the front door, then turned slowly to face the back door, then pointed to all four walls and to the ceiling. Sam and Sookie looked at each in bewilderment. Sam shrugged and shook his head.

"Okay," Elliot said, sitting back on her stool, pulling the paddles, instructing Sam to do his part, and said, "Clear". They stepped back as Elliot bent forward and placed the paddles to Bill's chest. Sookie screamed as Bill's torso involuntarily lurched off the table and then fell back.

"Oh God," Sookie cried, "Oh Bill." Tears streamed down her checks.

"Quiet please," Elliot said sternly. She looked at the monitor to see if Bill's heart had started. Nothing. She instructed Sam to change the settings on the defibrillator. "Clear," she said loudly, placing the paddles against Bill's chest. His torso bucked again from the jolt of electricity.

Sookie squealed again in horror and sobbed quietly from her vantage point several feet back from the table. She was kneeling now and shaking very hard. "Please God," she prayed in a whisper, "Please, God."

Elliot looked at him as he lay quiet and still on the table. Still nothing. And then suddenly, his body jerked and he started coughing loudly and gasping, "Oh," he moaned, "hurts."

"Easy, Bill. Sam, give him oxygen, don't forget to turn it on first." She soothed Bill as he gasped and coughed. His vitals were coming up. He had a heart beat and he was breathing. She wiped tears from her face, she hadn't even realized she was crying. Her heart was in her throat as she caressed his face and combed her fingers through his hair. He was fine, he would make it. They were over the hump now, the worst and most difficult part of his treatment was over and he was alive. Her heart sang with joy and her shoulders relaxed with relief.

"Bill," she put her face close to his, "Welcome to the world of living, breathing, heartbeat-havin' human beings."

He nodded. "Thanks," he replied hoarsely. "If you don't mind, I think I'd like to lay here for a little while."

"That's fine, darlin'. You just stay put and rest." Elliot turned to Sookie, who was still kneeling on the floor, sobbing tears of joy now. She reached out to Sookie and they squeezed each other hands and nodded.

A phone in Sookie's pocket started ringing. "You're ringing, Sookie," Elliot smiled at Sookie as she turned and starting setting Bill up with an IV.

"It's Eric," Sookie replied with a big smile. "Hi, Honey," she said into her phone, "Where are you?" She paused. "Yes, I'm fine, I just got some good news is all……Ok, Eric, hold on a second, I'm not sure it's a good time for Bill to have guests…..honey, hold on just a second, please…..yes, I'm fine…..no, nobody's a hostage in here….Eric, calm down……hold on……." Her voice had become high-pitched.

She beckoned Elliot to her. "Eric's outside and he's really mad," Sookie whispered, "He said he's going to come in here and when he does, someone is going to pay. He said he wants to know what kind of shit Bill is cooking up in here and there will be hell to pay for locking him out of the house. He wants to know who is responsible for this."

"Okay. I'll go out in a few minutes to explain. Ask him to wait outside," Elliot stated calmly.

Sookie squirmed and looked distraught. "Elliot, please. He's really mad. No one tells Eric to wait. Please, go talk to him now. Sam and I can watch over Bill. He's okay now, right?"

Sam was getting Bill comfortable on the couch and propping him into a slight reclining position.

Elliot gave a little nod. "Okay, tell him I'll be outside to talk to him in a minute." She went to Bill and sat on the edge of the couch next to him. "How are you feeling?"

Bill replied, "I feel okay. My chest is sore. And I'm hungry. Hey, what does a guy have to do to get a steak dinner around here?"

"You and your steak cravings," Elliot laughed.

"I'll make you a dinner fit for a king, my friend," Sam said. "God knows you've earned it, and that's an understatement."

"Make it a fairly small dinner. Okay, Sam? His digestive tones sounded good this afternoon, but I don't want to push it. He can have a very small steak and a medium-sized potato or some rice and maybe some over-cooked carrots with a little butter. He needs to take it easy on the food until we know all his digestive enzymes are kicking in. I'll be right back. I'm going outside to talk with Eric. Bill, if he's calm, do you want him to come in? I can keep him out indefinitely if you want."

"He can come in. I wonder if I can rescind his invitation now that I'm a mortal?" Bill mused aloud.

"Oh God, Bill, please don't even try. I'd never hear the end of it," Sookie pleaded.

Bill chuckled. "Paybacks can be a bitch, Eric," he muttered quietly with a devilish grin. "Just kidding, Sookie."

Sookie sat on the edge of the couch next to him. Elliot had gone outside to talk to Eric and Sam had excused himself to make dinner, so they were alone. "Bill, how do you feel? You look good, and your skin looks all peaches and cream." She took his hand. "Your hand is warm." She remembered shortly after they'd first met when he'd taken her hand at Merlotte's; she'd remarked on the coolness of his hand. How ironic, she considered, if his reversion to a human existence had happened while they were romantically involved, would they still be together? Was it his vampirism that ultimately came between them? When Eric saw what Bill had just done, would he want to undergo the treatment too? Would she even want him to take the risk?

"Penny for your thoughts," Bill said softly.

"More like questions." She smiled. "I'm happy for you Bill, I really am," she squeezed his hand. "Does Elliot know if you'll be able to have children, if you don't mind my asking?"

Bill smiled. "She said of the four vampires she's treated, two of them are men and they've both gotten their women pregnant since the treatment, so there's a decent chance of me being able to do the same."

"Do you think you'd like to have children?" she asked.

"Yes, I'd like to have children. I loved being a parent before, and I'm sure I'll love it again," he said gently. He knew this was a sensitive subject with Sookie. "So, how was your trip with Eric? Did everything go well?"

"Do you think Eric would want to become a human again?" She asked, sidestepping the small talk and returning to possible implications of today's events in her own life.

"I really couldn't say, Sookie. Judging by the Eric I know, I'd say he enjoys his vampire life and would perhaps be reluctant to leave it behind. Would you be disappointed if he wants to remain a vampire?"

Sookie answered immediately, "Oh no, I love him just the way he is. I'm sure it's best for him to remain a vampire." She gave Bill a quick smile. "Oh look, here's your dinner."

Sam proudly set a tray with Bill's steak and potatoes on the coffee table in front of him. "Here you go, buddy, I've got biscuits in the oven, too."

"Thanks, Sam, it smells fantastic! Say, would you mind giving me a hand to go out and check on Elliot? I'm still a little wobbly." Bill inquired as he swung his legs onto the floor and made to stand up.

"Hey, Bill, let me do it, you should take it easy. Elliot doesn't want you walking around until a couple hours after you've eaten. You need to eat and get some strength in your body and rest. I'll be right back." Bill nodded begrudgingly as Sam eased him back onto the couch.

Sam went to the door and poked his head out. Elliot and Eric were standing at the railing on the porch, speaking in obviously heated tones. "Elliot, dinner's ready. You should eat. Hello, Eric," he nodded to Eric.

Eric turned and looked at him as if he were the scum of the earth. "Shifter, you are part of this. Come over here for a minute."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Leave him alone, please, Eric. He did nothing besides be the best friend anyone could ever want. You would be ever so lucky to have him as your friend," Elliot said emphatically. She held up her hand in a 'stop' gesture to Sam. "Sam, you don't need to answer any of Eric's questions. I'll be in shortly to eat the dinner you made us, and I thank you for it."

Sam nodded and retreated back inside the house.

"You know something, Eric? No one here wants to hurt you or take anything away from you," Elliot said.

"Oh really?" Eric asked calmly, raising one eyebrow, "Something of mine has been taken from me and I'd like to know when I'm to be compensated."

"Eric, I'm sorry but I'm not following you here. Specifically what has been taken from you?" Elliot frowned, shaking her head slightly.

"The services of a valuable vampire by the name of Bill Compton belong to me since he lives here in Area 5, of which I am Sheriff. This is what has been taken from me," Eric answered calmly.

"Eric, I'm sure Bill has served you well during his time as a vampire, but his life belongs to him, not you. He is a human now, and as such, he is protected by the human laws of this land. He is also my friend, and I will protect him with my fairy abilities which are far more vast than you can imagine or understand."

Eric roared lustily with laughter. "Oh you little fairy munchkin, you amuse me. You're like a waif of sorts, I could blow you over. Need I inform you that as a vampire of more than 1000 years, I have forgotten more about fairies than you could possibly know? You will compensate me for the loss of Bill's vampire services and if he dies as a result of your so-called ministrations, I will post your head on a pole outside Niall Brigant's house."

Elliot snorted and shook her head. "You talk crazy words now. I will not compensate you for Bill's vampire services, Sir, and if you continue to threaten me, Niall will have a word with you, that I can guarantee."

"Hear me well," Eric said. "You and I will discuss compensation later, and yes, you _will_ compensate me or I will report what has been done to Bill to the King of Louisiana and he will bring it to others who rule at that level and they will take it from there. Now perhaps they will do nothing, or perhaps they will take action against you or your clan or your North American clans and so on." He locked eyes with Elliot to emphasize his point.

Elliot sighed as she resigned herself to the concept of compensating Eric for the loss of Bill's services. She had too much at risk if Eric made good on his threats. "Do you take checks?" she asked.

Eric smiled in victory. "Money is nothing to me when it comes from one who can give me something far more valuable. You will do some fairy work for me."

"Within reason?" she asked.

"Of course," he replied.

"Okay. And this will remain between us. Agreed?" she asked and he nodded affirmative. "Okay. Would you like to come in and see Bill and Sookie as Bill's honored guest? Keep in mind he'll be kind of weak tonight so please don't make too much of it."

"I will speak as I please, fairy," Eric replied dryly, holding the door for Elliot as she re-entered the house.

Sookie fairly skipped to Eric as he closed the door behind him. "Hello, my lover," he said, kissing Sookie's lips tenderly and holding her close. "Where is the new human? Oh, never mind, I think I smell him in this direction. He reeks with that unique musk known as sweaty human male." He sauntered to the living room as if he had all the time in the world and were in no particular hurry to see Bill.

Eric stopped at the doorway to the living room and gazed at Bill in semi-shock. He was surprised at the color of Bill's skin, so different from the pale white of before. "Everyone, leave us. Compton and I will speak in private. Even you, my little sweet, okay?" Eric bent and kissed the top of Sookie's head.

"Come, Sam, Sookie, let's eat this good dinner Sam made us," Elliot pointed them to the dining room table. "Eric, we'll be right in there if you need us."

Eric snorted. He stood over Bill looking down at him with obvious curiosity. "Compton, have you taken leave of your senses? I have a great many questions for you. Has this fairy beguiled you? Why would you do this without checking first with me?"

Bill carefully considered his reply before speaking. "I believed this to be a personal matter, Eric, and I hope you will understand that." He looked at Eric with the confidence borne of knowing he was right. If Eric decided differently, that was Eric's problem.

Eric half-smiled, "What's it like, being a human again after all these years? Humans are so inferior to vampires, surely it must be a disappointing experience."

"It's great," Bill smiled broadly. "The daylight, Eric, it's amazing the way it makes you feel. I spent most of today outside and I felt positively giddy at times. It was almost as if the sunlight itself gave me energy. And the colors, the smells, the sounds of the daytime, it's all different and I really enjoyed it. It's completely worth giving up the vampire gifts even if only to have the daylight hours again. Eric, I tell you honestly, it's great."

"Are you not concerned with how weak you will be as a human man? How can you expect to please women like this?" Eric sat down on the coffee table close to Bill's position on the couch.

"To be honest, I'll find a way to make do. I may no longer have a vampire's stamina, but I certainly do possess well over a hundred and forty years of experience in the art of pleasing women. As a vampire man, one must constantly hold back, but as a human man, it's a different story. You can let yourself go and the woman can appreciate it instead of being overwhelmed by it." Bill smiled. "No, Eric, I'm not worried about being a man again. I relish it."

"I think you have given up a lot, Bill," Eric responded. "What have you to look forward to now? You are 30 human years old and in your prime, but soon you will begin to decline. You will have pain and suffering, viruses and infections. You'll get into fights with other humans and sometimes they will overpower you if they are larger than you, or stronger than you, or younger and faster than you."

"Then I'll take vitamins and carry a gun," Bill countered. "Life as a human is uncertain, you're right. But that's what makes it so satisfying when something you do goes right."

"Ridiculous. As a vampire, nearly everything I lay my hand to goes right." Eric folded his arms across his chest.

Bill spoke quietly now. "There is a chance I can make a woman pregnant soon, once my body rebuilds its reserves."

"How do you know this?" Eric leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. "Isn't this just a theory?"

"Elliot told me it's already happened with the two male vampires she's treated to become humans again. They've gotten their women pregnant since they've reverted to the human state." Bill raised his eyebrows and smiled hopefully. "I would like to have children again, a little girl to be my little princess and a little boy to teach how to fish and hunt."

"Bill, you've gone all soft already," Eric shook his head. "And what of this strange brew of a woman you've gotten yourself mixed up with, this fairy woman? Does she belong to you?"

"Yes, she belongs to me. She is mine," Bill spoke like a vampire, then caught himself. "She is my girlfriend, to use mortal terms."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I would have enjoyed making a gift of her to Felipe deCastro. He likes his women spirited and unusual."

"I would appreciate it if you never spoke of Elliot in such a fashion ever again," Bill said sternly, glaring at Eric.

Eric chuckled. "Relax, Compton. Have you considered what your official story is going to be, to the vampire world, at least?"

"I haven't yet figured that out. I need to be careful not to implicate Elliot, whatever I decide. I was thinking to offer you a deal. You may have the legal rights to my vampire database including the new updates in exchange for you telling the vampire community that I am finally dead."

"Done," Eric replied swiftly, "But you will owe me a favor also since what you are offering is lean in exchange for what I'm giving you."

"No, Eric," Bill shook his head. "I'm done living my life that way. I will not owe you a favor. If you need something later on down the line and we are friends, then I will do you a favor for free if I'm able. That is how humans with any level of self-regard live, and that's how I will live. I've just spent over a hundred and forty years constantly under the terms of others, and I am finished with that. I will live my human life on my own terms. This is the deal I'm offering you, take it or leave it."

"I will take your offering but solely as a favor to Sookie since you're friends now," Eric said, "And if I need something from you, I will call upon you and hopefully you will be strong enough of a human man to be reciprocal. You probably do not even know what a real man is, genteel southern boy as you were raised. Now to be a Viking, that is to be a real man," Eric said, banging his fist on the table for emphasis.

Suddenly Sookie hugged Eric from behind, wrapping her arms around his chest and draping herself over his back and her head over his shoulder. "Sookie, min alskare, you're back. Did you get your little belly filled up?" He turned his head and nuzzled her face. She murmured to the affirmative and they both got up and left the room, arms around each other, Sookie giggling while Eric whispered in her ear.

Elliot returned to Bill's side, her stethoscope in hand. "How are you feeling since you ate, Bill?"

"I feel great. I'd like to get up for awhile. Would that be alright?" Bill asked, smiling and pushing his face up close to Elliot's. He cupped a hand behind her neck and pulled her lips to his. "Mmm, you taste good, you feel good, I want you."

"I want you, too, Sweetheart, but I'm not sure we should make love tonight. Could we just snuggle? I want to do some tests on you tomorrow, and then we'll know how quickly we can safely push up your activity level. Okay?"

"Oh, I guess so," Bill replied, kissing her neck and caressing her back and shoulders.

"How about a bath? I could draw one for you and if you don't mind, I'd love to join you." Elliot began listening to Bill's chest and his abdomen.

Bill complied with her gentle nudge to lay back and gazed lovingly at her as she moved the drum of her stethoscope around on his body, listening intently to his internal sounds. He reached up and tucked a strand of curly hair behind her ear. He could tell she was tired and yet she didn't let on to anyone. She was an extraordinary woman, he observed once again. She had given him so much in such a short time. What could he possibly give her in return? If he gave her his heart, would it be enough? Would she want it?

She was a supernatural and he was a human man now, with no supernatural abilities. Perhaps, he thought, she would consider him inadequate. He had to know the answer, at least to the extent she could predict her own heart.

"Elliot, there's something I need to know," Bill said.

"Okay, what?" Elliot asked.

"Now that I'm a human man and I don't have any special abilities, do you still want to be with me, to continue getting to know me like we have?" Bill asked, his heart on his sleeve.

Elliot looked down and set her stethoscope on the table. She paused for a moment before she spoke. Her face crumpled and tears streamed down her cheeks. "Of course I do, more than you know."

He pulled her to him and maneuvered her to lay next to him on the couch. He put his arms around her tightly and reassured her, "It's okay, Sweetheart, sshh, it's okay. I'm right here."

Elliot wanted desperately to tell him what was transpiring in her life regarding the arranged marriage with Quilan but considering the drastic shift he'd just undergone, she felt it best not to introduce stress into his life at the present. She had emailed her grandfather this afternoon to explain her concerns about Quilan's abusiveness and the stories she'd heard. He replied that he'd dispatch an agent to investigate the complaints women had made against Quilan, but he wasn't sure the information would be available in time to file another denial statement with the Fae high court. He warned she should continue making plans to leave Louisiana in two weeks. This would give her a week to make the trip and a week to take care of her personal business before the wedding was to take place.

"Hey, you two," Sam called out from the doorway, "Get a room, would 'ya?"

Elliot turned to him and said, "Hey, I've got a surprise for you. My shifter friend, Lauren, emailed me a little letter for you in response to what I told her about you. She wants you to read it and reply back if you want. It's in my email box on my laptop. You can power it up and get online. Bill hooked my computer up to his router. The email with the section for you is from Lauren Berentz. There's just one from her in my general Inbox. Okay?"

"That sounds great! Thanks, Elliot, I'll read it right now. Maybe I won't have to be a fifth wheel anymore one day, huh?" He found Elliot's laptop on the antique buffet. Had Elliot been crying, he wondered as he plugged in the laptop and pressed the power button? She looked kind of like it. Oh, well, he decided, she probably was just happy to have Bill make it through the treatment with flying colors. He looked out the window and saw the full moon sitting low in the night sky. Miraculously and just as Elliot had promised, he hadn't even felt the urge to shift tonight. Maybe he'd give it the ultimate test by going outside to stand in the full moonlight.

He went outside and stood a few feet from the porch, looking up at the moon. This is great, he thought, nothing, no restlessness, no shifting desires at all. He walked back to the porch and sat on the top step. What should he say to Lauren? He didn't want to give the impression he was desperate or the founder of the local Lonely Hearts Club or something. Should he tell her he'd seen her picture and he thought she was beautiful? That'd probably be a good idea, he figured, shifter women were just like all women in that regard, they liked being told they were pretty.

He propped his elbows on his knees and stared out across Bill's lawn, wondering if Lauren could possibly come down to Louisiana for a visit while Elliot were still here. Elliot's presence would make it easier to get to know Lauren in a less-strained way, he figured.

Something moving in the woods near the cemetery caught his eye, two dark figures walking slowly and smoothly in the shadows. They looked like men and they seemed to be concerning themselves with Bill's house. He sensed animosity coming from the men. He went back into the house to make sure everyone was inside before he'd go back out to investigate.

TBC


End file.
